| They didn't cover this one, which I think is pretty common as well: "You're probably going to [exaggerate other person's negative reaction], but..." This will usually dampen the other person's negative reaction. You've presumed the person will react unfavorably to whatever it is you're about to say. You, in a way, have suggested the person will have a bias to be negative, before you've even stated anything. No one likes to hear that about themselves, so people will tend to overcompensate by being even more dispassionate than they normally are. Before anything is ever said. "You're probably going to hate me for saying this, but..." "You're going to think this is silly, but..." "You're going to think I'm a jerk, but..." I think in each case, you'll find the listener consciously or subconsciously suppress their reactions so as to not to come off as hating the other person, or thinking they are silly or a jerk. |