Having negative people around is not fun. Especially people that are constantly negative. It sucks the energy out of us. 

Here are 5 tips on how you could react when there is a person in your environment that tends to be negative.

 

 tips to react when with a negative person

 

  • Smile and radiate positive energy yourself: This is clearly rule number one. Emotions are contagious, and if your positivity is strong enough, there’s a good chance the other person will take up your positivity, even if only slightly.
     
  • Listen and sympathize: Sometimes people just need to ‘vent’ – they’re not looking for a solution – they just want to get something off their chest. It might also be that they want to connect – talking about problems is a great way to connect with others. Give them what they want – just listen.
     
  • Do something unexpected: When people are negative, they’re often stuck in their emotions. A bit like in a trance. Help them break the trance. Do something that surprises them. Tell something completely unexpected. Throw a glass of water in their face. Use surprising humor. Whatever. As long as it gets them out of their state.
     
  • Change the topic to something more positive: Change their focus. Switch the topic to a passion of theirs. Tell them some good news. Give them a sincere compliment and ask them to elaborate on how they manage to be so good at this. 
     
  • Disagree forcefully with them: This tip is especially interesting when the other party is being extremely negative about him or herself. Where possible, tell them they have the right to have their own, negative, opinion – but that you completely disagree with their view… 

 

Sometimes the tips above don’t work. For instance, when the negative person, at that specific moment, doesn’t WANT to become more positive, and even starts to seek conflict. In that case, it might be wise to leave the room until the person has ‘cooled down’ a little. The next time you see them, don’t hesitate to apply the tips above. 

Contact us if you want yourself and your team to nurture a more positive culture where people thrive and give the best of themselves.