Siouxland Magazine - Volume 1 Issue 4

Siouxland Magazine | Resilience / 13
Excuse Me?
By Sonia Wilson
After-hours social and networking functions
are a part of being a young professional. These
functions are usually very informal and can include food,
drinks, and socializing. They are an opportunity to build
relationships and network outside of the office. However,
it can be easy to forget that even though you are outside
the walls of work, you are still in a professional setting and
are representing your organization.
Conversations at these events can quickly take a far-left
turn from comfortable and professional to inappropriate
and unacceptable. In my experience more times than
not, the event remains professional, however, it’s the few
and far between uncomfortable situations that have led
me to analyze and reflect the best way to respond. The
conversations usually start off innocently enough and
before you know it, you’re in wildly inappropriate territory
and are asking yourself, “What do I do?” “What do I say?”
“How do I respond?” If you have ever been a party to one
of these uncomfortable conversations, I’m here to help!
Handling these conversations in a professional
manner takes the utmost courage, confidence, and
preparation. I have found one phrase that anytime I am
in an uncomfortable situation where an inappropriate
comment has been made towards me, I can use to
address the situation. It’s a phrase I have memorized, that
will stop the conversation right in its tracks and hopefully
deter it from continuing. That phrase is, “Excuse me?”.
“Excuse me?” works on every level! Think
about it. This phrase does a few things: it
acknowledges you heard the comment; it
reinforces that the comment said was not
appreciated, and it forces the person who
made the comment to make a choice.
They can either repeat what they said, stay quiet and
move on, or apologize. Either way, you come out of an
uncomfortable and inappropriate situation with your
head held high, your standards adhered to, and your
professional image in tack. Now the delivery, this is key to
ensure success. Practice the phrase at home in front of the
mirror. You have to remain calm, confident, and strong
and not come across as aggressive or angry.
We cannot control what other people do or say,
we can only control our reaction. An EVENT
plus your REACTION equals the OUTCOME.
With your response of ”Excuse me?” the outcome will
guarantee to be positive and hopefully result in a learning
opportunity for both you and the individual who made
the comment in the first place.
Sonia Wilson, Marketing Communications Specialist,
Great West Casualty Company.