Dear ladies and gentlemen, very often we will attend some social events, like formal dinners, cocktail parties etc. However, there are always some unforeseen circumstances that would embarrass everyone. Then what would you do to gracefully remove yourself from such embarrassments?
Dull conversation
You barely knew the person standing in front of you, and he/she is talking endlessly about topics you have no interest in. I am sure you would like to end this dull conversation and leave this person as soon as possible. What would you do?
How to do
Before we already talked about how to leave a discussion. So here the rules are simple, if you want to end this dull conversation with politeness, instead of giving the other a bored face, you could:
Tell the person you have just seen someone you need to greet
Say that you would like to go take a drink / a plate of food if there is a buffet
Ask where the toilets are
Introduce the person to someone else you know in the room and then you could leave
Unfriendly questions
In social/business/daily occasions, you could hardly avoid some unfriendly questions raised by “ignorant” people. Such as questions that are too much related to individual privacy that you don’t want to answer; or questions that are meant to embarrass you in public; or questions touch your bottom line but with an innocent questioner. Then how would you relax the tensions with good manners?
How to do
Use your humor to change the topic smoothly without answering the question
For the questions that are meant to embarrass you, you could simply ignore if possible; if not, I am sure you are wise enough to strike it back with politeness
You could refuse to answer with a smile“sorry, I can’t answer this question right now”
Are you married?
Nowadays, the most unwelcoming questions seem to be “Do you have a girlfriend/boy friend? When do you plan to get married?” or “Are you married? When are you going to have kids?” You could choose to answer these questions according to our tips above:
Use your humor “ My girlfriend lost her way finding me, she has no sense of direction so it takes time. + another topic)”
Ask the person with politeness and a smile “I don’t know, what about you/your son? Is he getting married soon?” (Lead the topic to the other person, because people always like talking about themselves”
Sorry, it is not on my to do list right now
Whatever the unfriendly questions are, I am sure you will find a way to “answer” them. But never let these unfriendly questions ruin your day and don’t lose your temper in public.
Excessive requests
Sometimes in social occasions, you may also receive some excessive requests from others. For example, you are not a drinker but are asked to drink wine/alcohol; or the other person keep asking your weibo/facebook/ins account or your phone number, which you are reluctant to offer.
How to do
If you are asked to drink alcohol, simply tell them firmly that “Sorry, I don’t drink.” “I am allergic to alcohol, sorry”, “I am the driver today, sorry I can not.”Upon excessive requests, you should give a firm and clear “no” to these requesters otherwise they will keep asking. Of course, a soft excuse is always better, but do not surrender simply for “saving face” .
Intimate behaviours
Over intimate behaviours will make people feel uncomfortable for the invasion of personal space. It is said the proper social distance (for unfamiliar friends) is 120-360cm. What if someone doesn’t respect this rule?
How to do
If you are not used to greet with hug or cheek kissing, initiate a handshake first
If you feel the person stands too close to you, turn your body to put your bag or whatever held in your hand in between
You could also step aside, and let a third person to fit in
Dear ladies and gentlemen, do you have any experience or story to share with us regarding this topic? Or have you ever encountered some difficult situations that you don’t know how to deal with? Feel free to leave us a comment!
