Socially-Acceptable Sayings When You Don’t Know What To Say

  A bit of humor, though totally serious…

     Ever receive a gift and hate what you received, yet the gift-giver is in front of you watching you open it?
Ever have to respond to seeing someone else's newborn baby whom you think isn't so cute?
Ever receive a comment from someone that you would rather not have received?

     Another list to which I belong began a string of words/phrases we can use for the awkward situations in which we find ourselves. How many of these have YOU used? LOL!

Original word and "urban definition" that started this list: "Interesting "
(adj) Something which arouses no interest at all. Used to politely avoid admitting this, which indirectly expresses your indifference. Example: "Yes, your bottle cap collection is INTERESTING."

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Contributions to the list from group members:

• Open a gift that you find absolutely horrid, yet the gift giver is there watching you open it: "Oh, this is…pause…USEFUL." (Unspoken message: Useful to someone but not to you!) S.H.
• Receiving not-so-positive feedback from someone whom you know gives not-go-nice feedback to anyone, any time: "Well, thank you for SHARING." (Unspoken message: …but I could have lived without you doing so.) S.H.
• Observing someone doing something outrageous and inappropriate: "My! THAT was SOMETHING." (Unspoken message: But I don't know what that something is.) S.H.
• "My Aunt would, upon seeing many newborns, children or grandchildren of friends, usually said 'Now THAT's a baby!' It said it all." J.E.
• And there's the story that has gone around for years about Southern women who say "Bless your heart", and what they really mean. J.E.
• And on the Southern note, another saying is "Isn't that NICE!" That says it all, too. G.N.
• As in "How NICE for you!communication, speech, say, embarrassed, sorry" When I say that it means I either think what they are doing is really lame or I am having an attack by the green-eyed monster!!! D.D.

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End note: Here's a link to a nice article written by one of my speaker colleagues about whether to confront someone or not, and what to say when you'd rather not say anything.
"Green Jello: Principles of Conflict Resolution". Author – Sarita Maybin. Look under "Resources" for this signature story by Sarita.