Q&A for How to Politely Tell Someone That Something They Said Offended You

Pause for a moment and ask the person to repeat what they said. Doing this gives the other person a chance to really hear and re-think their comment.

Tell the person how their words may you feel—they might not realize that their comments came across as negative. You can also ask them to clarify what they mean as you work through the conversation.

Having good manners is a key part of having great executive presence. It says a lot about your character and trustworthiness when you handle yourself with grace and control during a difficult situation.

Be honest, be direct, and bring it up immediately in your conversation. You have to stand up for yourself. Don't be accusatory, simply tell her how her actions made you feel.

If you have tried the methods in this article and your friend continues to treat you badly, you may need to end the friendship. You can even tell her that you're sad to do so. However, if she can't treat you with respect, you aren't able to spend time with her. It's not healthy for you.

Don't immediately assert your power over her. Be gentle (I know it's hard) and drop hints about your authority. Try to list out the pros of your teaching style, but also listen to her teaching style, so that she feels you are listening. Then counter her style with your own.

Try telling your friend that, even though you are wearing hearing aids, they don't make all sound perfectly clear. If she has a problem with that, tell her that she needs to speak louder to you. My neighbor wears hearing aids, so I know it can be kind of stressful to have to repeat yourself all the time, but she should be willing to put in the extra effort to accommodate you without being rude about it, especially if she is a friend.

Well, not everyone is a Christian, so not everyone finds this as offensive as you do. Unless they were drawing the picture for you, you should not be mad. They have a right to express themselves. If it was meant for you, just politely ask them to remove the "OMG" part.

It sounds like maybe he was upset about something else and lashed out at you, which isn't right, but it's not uncommon behavior for young people. You should ask him why he reacted like that, and let him know that he can talk to you at any time.

Don't think too much of it this time, and keep inviting them to yours. If they continue not to invite you, then you may want to reevaluate these friendships. If they repeatedly spend time without you, and there's no reason for it, you deserve better and you should move on.

Sit down with them. Tell them how you're feeling. Be polite, but assertive, and tell them exactly what they've done to upset you. Ask them if they could refrain from saying these things to you in the future.

If it's someone whose opinion matters to you, then you should talk to them about it. Ask them why they said this. Be calm, and show a genuine interest in their response. If you feel like they have a valid point, tell them you will make an effort to change. If it's someone whose opinion is not that important to you, try to just put this thought out of your head. They may have just been having a bad day, and if they don't know you very well, there's no reason to worry too much about their opinion.

Well, for starters, look at the situation. What have they done to irritate you? If it is something minor, look at it from a different perspective as they are human and make mistakes. If it something serious, ask yourself "why do I continue to put up with this?" You deserve better. Although making new friends is easier said than done it IS possible. If you are in middle/high school try to reach out to certain clubs that have hobbies that you enjoy, or join online communities. Focus on what you need right now, not how you can make everybody else happy. Toxic relationships will do anything BUT help you. They will hurt you and drag you down. Stop this before it goes further.

For someone who deals with depression myself, I understand why you would feel like that and it also doesn't help to say that either because you can be so into the sadness where you can't get out of it. Tell them how you feel when you are in a more stable state. Maybe even think over what you're going to say and the different ways they could respond. Whatever feels more comfortable (in person or texting/calling if you have access to a phone). And you can say something like "Hey, those times where I get depressed and you tell me to think positive––I just would like you to be aware it doesn't help much because it makes me feel ashamed of being sad." And think of ways they can help you.