How do you go about not offending people?

Answer 1

Not offending people could possibly be the hardest thing you could do. People have values and beliefs of their own which make each and every one of them unique. There is no logical way to tell if you are going to offend somebody. However if you are real close to them yo might want to start off by asking 'Can I ask a personal question that might offend you.' Or if it is a statement, you may not want to say it at all.

Answer 2

It is not possible to avoid offending people. Someone will always misinterpret what you say and take it to be offensive. If you find you often are blunt or put your foot in your mouth, you might just need to stop a moment to think before you just blurt something out. Also, being genuinely friendly, caring, with a warm smile and a greeting will go a long way to prevent people from thinking badly of you. One trick is to try to write down a fact about a person and bring it up when you see them the next time, such as, "oh, how does your brother-in-law like that new job?" They will be amazed that you remembered. Also, a genuine compliment is always a good start, plus a question about something they are interested in.

Answer 3

1. Never offer advice to someone who hasn't asked for it.

2. Avoid malicious gossip about people. Nobody likes a back-stabber.

3. If you have to disagree with someone, make the disagreement civil. There's a world of difference between "That idiot Marlene believes..." and "I don't share Marlene's views on that issue."

4. Remember that if you do not respect the right of others to disagree with you, they will not feel the need to respect your right to disagree.

5. Think before you act or speak. Once you've said something or done something, you can't take it back. "You can't unring a bell."

6. Never, ever assume that people you do not know will share your views because you believe you are similar to them. Be cautious about what you say around new acquaintances until you get to know them.

7. Always bear in mind in any discussion that there is always the possibility that you may be wrong about something. Maybe you don't have all the facts, maybe you misunderstood something, maybe you are just plain wrong.

8. Never argue to the point of unpleasantness over something that doesn't matter. Even if you know the other person is wrong, even if other people know the person is wrong, if the issue is trivial, you will offend people if you make yourself unpleasant about it.

9. Bear in mind that when you are in a discussion, you are not learning anything if your mouth is in motion. It's better to listen more and speak less. You learn more that way.

10. Treat people with the same tact, compassion and kindness you would like to be treated with. You can't go wrong in respecting the Golden Rule.

Answer 4

First of all, face it. There are going to be people on this planet that are offended by the fact that other people are breathing their air. And you don't live your life to worry about what others think, right? You need to be your own person and do your own thing...within the scope of the law, of course. But first and foremost, when dealing with others, always remember this saying:
"It is better to be thought of as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt".
If you only comment on things that your 100% sure about, or feel strongly about and keep your mouth shut the rest of the time, no one can ever fault you and most will even consider you extremely intelligent.

Answer 5

Think before you speak! Don't just say the first thing that pops into your head or you will constantly be rubbing people the wrong way. Also, just keep in mind that sometimes things can be interpreted differently and the message you intended will not be what the other person hears. Sometimes you can't really avoid that but it's good to just be aware of what you are saying and you shouldn't have a problem.

Answer 6

thats tough... i just try to avoid conflicts as best i can and when i cant, i try to hold back all of the things running through my head that would offend someone (even though there are a lot of people that make it reeeallly hard)

Answer 7

Live in a cave with absolutely no communication - that's the only way, and you'll probably still offend your family.....

Answer 8

By keeping negative hurtful opinions to yourself.

Answer 9

you cannot, no matter what you say you will bound to offend someone. only thing you can do is explain you had no intention on hurting their feelings

Answer 10

Think of their feelings and how they will react to what you say. Don't blurt things out and don't always voice your opinion, esp. if it's not asked for. Just be nice.