No one can take power from you unless you give it to them, but people try to get you to relinquish power through verbal intimidation. Jay Morrisey shares his anti-intimidation advice, which can easily apply if you find yourself in a contentious customer service situation.

This is when the instigator asks a question, and immediately cuts into your answer with the next question. The result of this technique is that the target does not have a chance to explain their answers at all, leaving them scared about what the next question may be… If someone tries cutting-in on your responses. Simply pause, then politely reply: I’ll answer your next question, when I’m done with this one.

AmEx used this on me back in my foolish years when I was behind on some credit card debt. The guy who called kept cutting me off and made me feel very small. I wished I had known how to slow down the line of attack at the time. What other verbal intimidation tactics have you experienced, and how do you fight back against them?

The Art of Verbal Intimidation : Learn it and fight back! [Jay Morrissey via Lifehacker]
(Photo: Getty)

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