“The Art of Grey Rocking”

 

Have you ever been engaged in a conversation with someone who asks too many questions and is too critical of your lifestyle choices? Do you have someone in your life who irritates you and you wish you could avoid? Is there a family member or friend who is well-meaning but takes everything you say and judges it before giving their unsolicited opinions?

 

You aren’t alone. Many people face these issues every single day. The good news is that there is a technique you can employ to politely socialize with them yet not give much information away. The technique is called grey rocking.

 

It is a simple act to carry out. All you have to do is limit the conversation topics you are willing to talk about to a select few, then when the other person starts to try to change the subject or becomes overbearing, simply shrug and change the subject to another ‘safe’ topic, such as the weather.

 

For example, if you were talking about your latest work meeting and someone begins to criticize the way you dealt with a situation, you could say something along the lines of ‘thank you, I’ll take that into account next time. Have you seen the weather recently?”

 

It may take a few tries before they catch on, but this method means they get no information about your life that is important to you and limits the amount of interaction you have with them. Even if you say you’ll take something they said into account, you don’t have to.

 

Have you heard of this technique before? If you’ve ever used it, or given it a try, let us know in the comments below!