I’ve always noticed that whenever I’m in a social situation trying to speak up or trying to crack some jokes, there will always be a person or two who will always twist my words and use them against me.
This in turn makes me the butt of all jokes for the rest of the meetup and it’s seriously frustrating or sometimes intimidates me to not speak up at all.
They don’t seem to do that with anyone else. How should I navigate this situation?
3 comments
You definitely do want to speak up about this, but try to be respectful and avoid making accusations at people. One effective option is to state what someone did and explain how it makes you feel with “I” statements. For example:
“When you say things like that, I feel frustrated because it feels like I’m being unfairly judged/targeted”
It’s difficult to change what others reaction towards you but you can always change the way you react. Look for those who see you as the butt of the joke and when they’re on circle, stay serious/intimidating, don’t try to crack some joke, don’t let them any chance to flip your words. Also practice being stoic on smaller circle before dealing with bigger ones.
Maybe you give that butt of the joke vibe. You have a playful and kinda funny personality?