Use humor. If you feel uncomfortable directly calling someone out on their rudeness in a serious way, incorporate humor to diffuse the tension.
- If someone is loudly munching on their sandwich and making a mess next to you on the subway, smile and casually say something like, “Wow, you’re really enjoying that, aren’t you?” with a laugh. If they don’t get the point, follow up with, “Would you mind chewing a little less loudly?”
- Make sure your humor is light-hearted and not passive-aggressive or sarcastic. Stay friendly and smile. You want your comment to come off as a joke that the both of you can laugh about, not a sassy comment that fires off an argument.
