Myisha Nawar
Trust me, I know how it goes. You are pulling your hair trying to convince yourself that you are worth it and that you are good enough. Gosh, darn it, people like you! And just when you feel your groove returning to you, what happens? SOMEONE comes along to tell you just how incompetent, fraudulent and ignorant you are. (Or at least that is how online comments feel, right?) There is only one thing more destructive for your buzz than critical, complaining and rude comments, and that is a poor response to them.
Ready to roll with me? Let’s go. Let’s handle those rude comments!
1. Try to prove that you are listening. Instead of furiously strutting into your own argument, take a moment to steer the direction of your reply towards conversation. Stay away from the road to assault. You could try starting out with a response like “I can see what you are saying” or “I hear you”.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you agree or even have to pretend to agree, but setting the tone for mutual respect and understanding can go a long way.
2. Try to speak out your experience. The most common foible people make online is directing their disagreement toward a person rather than the ideas they are putting forth. This is a dangerously treaded path toward tasteless arrogant remarks and more livid emotions. So, try to share the information you know and make the conversation into one that is focused around an exchange of information and ideas.
3. Ask a question. When you don’t know how to respond without coming off as a snipping, snooty or defensive jerk, be inquisitive. A simple but genuine question has the uncanny power to calm people down and get them to behave like decent humans again. Plus, it will esteem you in the eyes of others and maybe even your critic!
4. Try to convey kindness. The biggest problem with the internet is that the vast majority of communication on it is text based. This means that you will need to go out of your way to convey the fact that you are actually a pleasant person who is responding with warmth, instead of the blunt snobbery. Using emojis is a great way to do this. Do not put in the “:)” though.