Author: Honey Shelton

Talk about a person with a commitment – that would be that chronic, the glass is half-empty, complainer. We all have complaints, and venting has it advantages. But it’s the “stuck like Chuck” complainer that wears thin with everyone. That whiny person you dread being around; that makes you want to say, “take two aspirin and call my answering service tomorrow.”

Self-appointed chief complainers can find themselves ostracized since others are quick to learn it is a good choice to avoid whiners at every turn. So what do you do for those times that you find that there’s just no place to run, nowhere to hide, from that dreadful complainer?

Six Tips to Nix Complaints and Complainers

1. Everybody has complaints, and those that don’t come across as too Pollyanna and pretentious. However, those among us who are committed and consistent about complaining wear thin. Ulcers and heart attacks can be caused by holding in complaints. Migraines can be caused by listening to someone else complain frequently and endlessly!

2. Be highly selective of who hears your complaints. Find a complaining companion – a person you can complain to about what’s bugging you, and you offer the same reciprocal therapy. Agree to set a regularly scheduled venting time and use a timer for how long each of you will have to complain. Take a box of Kleenex, and with every complaint, tear the tissue to shreds and then toss it.

3. Work is not a useful place to complain. You won’t like everyone you work with or everything the company decides to do or not do. But don’t jeopardize your future by building a reputation for taking a bulldog approach to what you dislike. Let go of what you can’t do anything about or look hard at where else you can work. If it can’t be changed, avoid tireless complaints about it.

4. Do your part and listen, with limits, to what others complain about. Seldom are complainers seeking advice, so it’s smart to ask if they want any or if they just need to vent.

5. If you have to live with or work with a professional complainer, try earplugs or an IPod . Get creative and try tape recording the complaining, and give your chronic complainer an earful by gifting them the recording.

6. Write out your complaints. Ask yourself – did I cause this? Can I fix this? Is it my business? Am I willing to be a victim? Complaint lists are like gratitude lists. You can learn a lot by taking inventory.

Become a pro at managing your own complaining and get serious about building a strategy for dealing with dedicated complainers.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/six-tips-that-nix-complaining-3738866.html

About the Author

Honey Shelton, founder of InterAction Training, is nationally recognized as an outstanding, compelling speaker and an expert in extraordinary training in employee performance and customer service. If you found these techniques helpful, claim our other popular free articles and training tools, available at: => http://www.InterAction-Training.com