Follow These Steps To Ignore People At Work Without Them Knowing
There are so many things that life throws our way. While some of these things are pleasant, others are not good at all. For instance, there are people at work that you would rather not see or talk to. Hallways and meetings eventually bring stupid people together. Whether it is your former boss, your IT guy or a co-worker you just don’t like being around them, their presence can be unsettling. Learning how to ignore in a tactical way without them realizing can be dignifying. Below are some of the techniques that can come in handy.
Get Yourself Busy with Something or Someone Else
Looking unoccupied is one of the signs that you are available and someone can approach you. Whenever you are near or seated next to the person you want to avoid, find yourself something to do. You can decide to initiate a conversation with the person seated next to you. Alternatively, if you are in an meeting, you can decide to pick a task and run around with it such as distributing donuts or notes for the meeting. This will cordon you off from their attention.
Change Your Walking Pattern
Assuming that you in the hallway/parking lot and then you spot the person you want to avoid, you can change your pace and decide to walk fast. This will send the signal that there is somewhere else you are rushing to and therefore not available for side distractions.
Refocus Somewhere Else and Avoid Eye Contact at all Costs
Whenever you are in a given setup where the person you want to avoid is also present, you can let your eyes do the walking. This simply means that you need to change your focus and look at any other person except the one you are avoiding. This is a tactical approach that will tell them that your focus is somewhere else. Looking at them straight into the eye shows interest and availability.
Getting Texting or Calling on Your Phone (Fake or Real)
This is a brilliant technique. Whether the texts or calls are genuine is none of their business. The fact is that you are engrossed in a conversation with someone else via phone and as such not available. You can decide to change the conversation as long as you are near him so that he can get the impression you are talking to different people. There are some phone models where you can setup a fake call which rings after sometime. This is a perfect way to show your disinterest without appearing rude.
