Recently, there was a rumor going around in my small hometown of Ellsworth that I was pregnant. It turns out that there’s another woman named Tasha in Ellsworth who was pregnant, and Tasha isn’t a very common name here, so it’s kind of funny how that misunderstanding happened!
I laughed out loud when I heard the rumor, but not all gossip is so easily brushed off. There’s a dark side to gossiping… it can be incredibly hurtful, cause misunderstandings, ruin relationships, and blow events and conversations WAY out of proportion. And in my experience, especially in schools and small towns, it can be really hard to avoid gossip. What can you do when someone is gossiping around you? How do you avoid the temptation to gossip?
What if the rumor is about you - what can you do? I answer all of these questions and more in this week’s blog. Take a listen!
RESOURCES Here are four questions you can ask yourself, when thinking about whether or not something is harmless chitchat or harmful gossip.
Question 1: Do you have all the facts firsthand or is this hearsay?
Question 2: Do your words build someone up or tear someone down?
Question 3: Do you find pleasure in discussing someone else’s problems?
Question 4: If the person you’re talking about was present, would you change the topic?
Here are some phrases that can be helpful if you want to stop the conversation from continuing. I recommend saying the phrase and then trying to change the topic of conversation.
“That sounds really tough. I bet they’re having a hard time.”
“I don’t have an opinion on this.”
“I’m trying not to gossip so can we talk about something else?”
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