Raele Altano offers five gentle comebacks for tense moments with bosses, in-laws, or other people with power over you. Phrases like "How is this helpful?" and "What do you mean by that?" let you push back without escalating, especially when direct confrontation isn't safe.
Okay, here are five gentle comebacks when you have to be careful about who you're responding to. Perhaps it's a boss, a manager, a professor, an elder, an in law. You can say, how is this helpful? Alright then. Ouch. Wow. I had no idea you felt that way. Huh? What do you mean by that? Take note of the pauses in some of these. They're important. And these might not even be classified as true comebacks because you're not looking to insult the other person or suit to their level. If they're repeat offenders who always have something to say and you're sick of laughing it off or staying silent, these are for you. Addressing these groups of people was a highly requested one, so I hope this is helpful. Good luck.
