How to shut down negative people

There will always be the office ranters, the permanently disgruntled employees with their endless list of grievances. You can avoid them or you can get embroiled in their drama, but neither ends well because either you've alienated an ally who's otherwise resourceful, or you've made things worse, haven't helped one bit, and wasted your entire lunch break. Here are five ways to respond to people who whine non-stop without ruining either of yours day.

1. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. Did anything good come out in the end?"

This shows empathy while gently nudging the other person towards more positive thoughts. If nothing good in fact came out of the situation, then you can express your sympathy and change the topic. Don't directly tell them to look on the bright side because then they'll feel you're making light of their situation.

2. "That's awful, but it's amazing how you powered through the whole thing."

In the same way that complimenting a person on how diligent they are encourages them to live up to that reputation, commending someone on their impressive resilience instils a feeling of self-worth in them and motivates them to be less pessimistic.

3. "Oh. What do you usually do in these situations?"

This will help put the other person in problem-solving mode. Plus, a question like this will definitely divert the focus of the conversation to something more positive, like coping strategies.

4. "Oh well, what are you gonna do. What else is new with your work?"

What is your colleague going to do when you ask something like this? Say "No I don't want to talk about anything else?" This response will successfully force him or her to move on to a less depressing topic.

5. "Can I help in any way?"

Or some version of this. Offer to step in if you can actually follow through. While the venter probably won't ask anything of you, it will tone down the situation in general and help you transition the conversation to something else.