October 2017
Beginner
240 pages
4h 19m
English
People who patronise often come from the same place as bullies – they put you down in order to big themselves up. They are insecure and plagued with self-doubt, and they deal with it by trying to cement your position lower down the social, intellectual or corporate ladder than they are.
As with so many kinds of difficult behaviour, this is about them and not you, and your best bet is to stay calm and politely but firmly draw attention to what they’re saying: ‘Why do you say I wouldn’t understand? Would you like me to explain it for you?’. In front of other people, this can be very effective because it makes them feel so uncomfortable they’ll think twice about doing it again.
One thing to look out for is ...
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