"My co-worker is continually making comments about our boss. She says he is incompetent and doesn't deserve his position title. How do I respond?"

Saying nothing often communicates agreement. If you don't agree with your co-worker, remaining silent is not a good choice.

However, becoming confrontational, defensive or argumentative is rarely productive and can escalate the situation.

Instead, use the two magic words that can get you out of almost any situation. "Excuse me," and then finish the sentence by announcing where you need to be. By extracting yourself from the conversation, you neither passively listen to the comments nor participate in an unproductive dialogue. Without an audience, the comments may become less frequent.

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