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How to Respond to “I Was Just Joking” #shorts

Name: How to Respond to “I Was Just Joking” #shorts
Uploaded: 2024-01-08T18:00:14+00:00
Duration: 50 s
Channel: Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP
Description: In this short instructional video, Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP, presents three concise, assertive responses to the common deflection “I was just joking.” The…

8 Jan 2024 · 1 min

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In this short instructional video, Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP, presents three concise, assertive responses to the common deflection “I was just joking.” The first comeback, “Then be funnier,” calls out the insincerity of the excuse and challenges the speaker to actually be humorous. The second, “I’m surprised by that,” creates a power flip by prompting the offender to explain themselves, positioning the responder as confident and in control. The third strategy treats the remark as an issue rather than a joke, calls the person out, and then remains silent, forcing the offender to either own their comment or backtrack. The video emphasizes boundary‑setting, confidence, and turning the conversational power dynamic in the responder’s favor.

Chapters

How to respond to "I was just joking." Number 1, my personal favorite, "Then be funnier." What you're saying is that insult coupled with "I was just joking" after it doesn't mean it's a joke. So if you were going for funny, that wasn't it. Number 2, "I'm surprised by that." Now this is a complete power flip because as soon as you say "I'm surprised by that," they're going to ask questions. They'll say, "What do you mean?" And you're going to repeat it. "I'm just— I was just surprised by that." Again, they'll ask questions. "Surprised? Surprised by what?" You're going to respond, "I'm surprised you went with that." It completely flips the power to where now you are the one that is more assertive and more confident while they're the one asking questions in the weaker position. And number 3, it doesn't sound like a joke. It sounds like an issue. And then be quiet. Once you've called them out, they're either going to acknowledge and own up to how they're truly feeling, or they're going to start backpedaling, realizing they've made a mistake. So try that and follow me.