Weve probably all been in that situation before; a man with a suit and tie walks up to us, demanding something of us, using complicated terms weve never heard before, speaking in a very quiet tone but displaying all the signs of passive aggressive behaviour and they might even get in your face or point at you with their finger.
Although you might have to try your best to ignore them, theres still a reason to listen to what theyre saying because in the event they are threatening you with something, youll want to act on it. It could be a work colleague that is upset at you for some reason, it could be your employer trying to make you do something ridiculous like work overtime on your childs birthday, or it could be a lawyer knocking at your door for something you did a year ago that annoyed their client.
Whoever it is, they probably think that by having a suit on they suddenly have authority over you and they talk down to you like youre a hooligan or peasant that should be grovelling at their feet. Whoever it is, here are some ways to get these self-righteous bullies off your back and turn your misfortunes around.
Remain calm
The worst thing you can do is incite a fight or lash out at them. Remain calm and listen to what theyre saying. Is it a co-worker that doesnt like the fact youre speaking with their office crush? Is it someone whos complaining at you for taking their parking space? Or is it a frustrated client that woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Its important that you try and remember or record what they are saying, but dont be intrusive and get out your phone and stick it in their face. Silently switch on the record function on your phone and keep track of everything they are saying as evidence to defend yourself.
Contact help
Whether its a lawyer contacting you about criminal charges or a boss that likes to exert their power on you in the office, you should contact help if its proving to be too much. For instance, you could hire qualified DWI lawyers if youre being charged for driving under the influence. It might be your fault for having a few too many drinks on a Friday night, but that doesnt mean you should just bend over and give in to the ridiculous claims and demands the prosecutor might make. Stand your ground, know your rights, and dont let them bully you into submission.
Know what youre entitled too
Far too many self-important individuals will brush off anything you claim because they believe you dont have the knowledge. Even if you are making complete sense and you have a reason to stand your ground or argue back, they might treat you like trash and shrug off anything you say and tell you you simply dont understand, youre wrong!. The first thing you should do is to stop yourself from getting frustrated. Assuming you know your rights and you know what youre talking about, you should withdraw and elevate the case to a lawyer or a superior. That will hopefully catch their attention, and the whole process will be worth it to see them apologise to you.