GOSSIP TRAP

Pretty sure we’ve all had this happen...

You’re talking to a friend and she asks about another friend and the next thing you know- you're having a whole gossip session.

It goes a little something like this:

Your Friend: Have you talked to ‘Kim’? How’s she doing?

You: Yea I just talked to her last week- she’s good….

Your Friend: I heard she and Chris broke up.

You: Oooh really? What happened?

Your Friend: Spills ALL the tea*….Girl he was cheating on her….with her best friend! You know Crystal…. And now Kim and Crystal aren’t friends and it’s so sad because they’ve been friends since elementary.…it’s sooo messy.

SMH

What’s really messy is this Gossip Trap.

If Crystal or Kim knew you were talking about them I’m sure they would not appreciate it.

And I’m sure you wouldn’t want anyone having your name in their mouth.

It’s sooo easy to get sucked into gossip- so how do we avoid this trap?

1: GOOD GOSSIP

If someone asks me how someone is doing I might say something like:

She’s doing great! And quickly follow with some good gossip by saying something like- That’s my girl! I just love her so much- she is such a sweetheart.

If you're going to talk about someone, always make sure it's positive- Good Gossip

2: BOOMERANG

You can also shut down the gossip trap by saying something like: "I actually need to call her to catch up- you should call her too and check on her".

3: SHUT IT DOWN

Here are some quick responses guaranteed to get you out of a gossip trap:

-Ooooh Girl! TMI! I do not need to know all this.

-We can’t talk about our girl like this- I wouldn’t want y’all talking about me

-This tea is too hot.. imma drink water and mind my business