When I meet people suffering from bullying, they wish they were smarter, less scared and more quick witted. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You can be – with a little practice.
The good news is that bullies are predictable. That means – if they challenge you once – they are probably going to do it again. Ok – that’s bad news. The good news is that – you can plan for the next time.
If you found yourself tongue tied and afterwards, thought of all the cool “comebacks” you could have and should have said later, great. Make note of them. Choose the one that is the nicest and a compliment, and practice it. Say it out loud. Have someone role play with you.
No one is good in the moment. Ok – some people are – but most of us – have to practice. And it’s ok to practice. Have something ready to say – practice saying it so that the next time someone challenges you – you will actually say it.
The more you practice saying it – the easier it will be. Don’t chose anything hard to say. Make sure it is basically nice. And disarm them with your words. The more you practice, the more confident you will be. And don’t worry about being redundant. Bullies taunts are redundant too.
To learn more about the behavioral science of how to get unwanted behaviors – like bullying to stop – check out my book and join the website to take advantage of all the free learning programs I offer.