You are seriously engaging in a conversation and you think you’re doing great. The next moment, someone in the group rolls her eyes at you and it seems you were bluffing all along.
The first reaction might be to feel discouraged and end the speech or discussion or you might be tempted to fight with the person.
But, we are told to follow the dialogue method of dissolving any issue. I’ve got the best 20 things to say to someone when you catch them rolling their eyes at you.
“If you’re not interested, come out straight”
The person might roll her eyes out of lack of interest in whatever you’re saying or doing. If you’re in a small group, you may pause what you’re saying and say the above words to the person.
Of course, you might not want to stop in the middle of a speech made to a big class to address one person. So in that case, you can say this to the person after your speech.
When you say this, you are letting the person know that you are aware of his attitude and you are not cool with it. He will either reply to you or keep shut.
“You are aware that’s rude, right?”
You might be interacting with a person who doesn’t really know that it’s rude for someone to roll his eyes at another person. So, you have to tell them.
When you reprimand them and tell them they’re wrong, they may either accept the correction (that’s if they didn’t know it already) or come out for a fight.
Their reaction after your statement will make you know if they were actually looking for a fight. If you’re not up for a fight yourself, you ignore them.
“You just gotta stop”
At first, you might want to ignore them. But, if they keep rolling their eyes at you and you’re not comfortable seeing that, simply tell them to stop.
It shows that you are not afraid of them and that you are not finding their attitude funny. As long as you are in a place where you’re not trespassing, no one has the right to disrespect you.
So, if you cannot take it, tell them to stop it. How you tell them depends on you. You can kindly tell them or otherwise. Just ensure that your message is understood by them.
“Why Do You Have To Do That?”
If this is someone you’re close to and you care about the person and what you were saying, you might want to pause and ask them why.
It might be that they are losing interest in the way you’re saying what you’re saying and you might want to spice things up and change format.
Sometimes, they may not even have an answer for you but you can still ask anyway. Asking them might make them stop if they have no answer for you.
“Haha, It’s not funny”
You might decide to make a sarcastic comeback at the person. Saying something like, “do you have a problem with your eyes” might sound like you are caring but you’re not.
The person might catch your sarcasm and stop and begin a word fight with you if that was her intention. You should be ready for whatever will come of what you’ll say.
Sometimes, sarcasm makes them look stupid and defeated. That is why you must have more sarcastic words to throw at them if they decide to engage in that word fight.
“This Is Only What You’ve Got To Do?”
At this point, you can’t help but ask the person this simple question. A lot of people who roll their eyes at others do that in order to scoff at them and show their bad attitude.
Ask them if it’s only bad attitude they’ve got to show for who they are. A lot of people do not want to be regarded as jobless. Asking them that question insinuates that they lack any other important thing to do.
At the realization of their folly, they may stop it or get stubborn with you. You shouldn’t really bother about their reaction. What’s important is that you’ve got your message across.
“I’m Seeing You Trying To Find A Brain Back There, Cos You Seem Not To Have One Right Now”
I made mention of sarcasm earlier and this is what you can use. When they know that you are not afraid of them and that you can speak up for yourself, they’ll back out.
With this statement, you are indirectly insulting them but they probably deserve it if they are intentional about their attitude. If you do not want to sound insulting, check for other words.
Nobody wants to be regarded as brainless or an empty head, so you should know that you’ve got a huge point with this statement.
“So, You’re Doing This Because You’re Mannerless”
You are being very direct and matter of fact when you say this to them. Some people do not like when other people point out their bad attitudes. They will most likely cower or fight back.
Most times, they’ll be sober and stop rolling their eyes at you. If you cannot endure their bad attitude, then you should point it out to them.
“I Will Pretend I Did Not See That”
It might be that you are addressing a sizable crowd of people and you find one or two persons rolling their eyes at you.
At that point, you just have to continue saying what you were saying then you can meet with them after the speech and say any of the options to them.
It might be very hard to concentrate on your speech when you know that someone or some people do not like you or what you’re saying and that’s why they are rolling their eyes continuously.
You just have to remind yourself that you didn’t go there for them. Talk to those who are interested and let them keep showing their bad attitude.
“LMAO”
When you do this, you end up confusing them. They might not understand why you’re laughing when you’re supposed to be mad at them and come for a fight.
When you laugh, you are telling them that their attitude is not affecting you, it’s only on them. After laughing, you can walk out on them or just move away from them.
They will end up looking foolish and not knowing what to say and do back, they’ll let you be. Nobody wants to be laughed at when he’s being serious.
“Do You Want Me To Call 911, Your Seizure Is Obviously Up”
Everyone around you will certainly laugh at the person when you make this statement. You have totally made a fool of the person by this single statement.
I guess that’s just what the person deserves. While saying this, you should let it show on your face and reaction that you are not affected by the person’s eye-rolling.
This also shows that you are willing to stand up for yourself and you are not afraid to do so. You might not want to say this to your boss though.
“What Do You Think?”
Your case might be between your boss and you. If your boss rolls his eyes at something you did or didn’t do well, you should ask for his perspective on that matter.
It might be a colleague who isn’t satisfied by your effort or presentation. It might as well be an avenue to learn from her. Calm yourself down and go to her, ask for her own perspective in that case.
This method is majorly needed in an official setting. You can also say this to a friend you respect so much. You might as well want to know the perspective of your dad if he rolls his eyes at something you did.
“I Can Only Thank You”
With this reaction from you, you have taken the person aback. You have stripped the person of all defenses and all attacks he prepared for you.
Sometimes, it’s better to just show people the good attitude they couldn’t offer to us. Kindness to a rude attitude always makes the person with the rude attitude succumb.
It will produce a better effect if you really mean it and you do not want to pick a fight with the person. This is also an appropriate response to a boss who rolls his eyes at you.
“I like you too”, “I love you too”
The world is filled with so much toxicity and hatred. You don’t know if the person is acting that way as a result of a previous experience. You will do well to show kindness at that point.
You say “I like you too” if it’s just an acquaintance or someone you barely know and say “I love you too” if it’s some close friend.
If they are wise, they will quickly get your point and refrain from the act. They might even apologize for acting stupid.
“Whatever!”
At this point, you don’t really care. After exclaiming that, you can roll your eyes back at the person and walk away. A lot of people will want to choose this option.
If you are equally a troublesome person and you can’t take a bad attitude from people, you might as well just give it back to them. When you do that, they’ll back down or begin a fight.
“Don’t Think I Didn’t See You Doing That”
When you are more sarcastic in your response, you are likely to make the person regret rolling his eyes on you instead of picking a fight with you.
You can give a kind smile that sends a really sarcastic message to him. Let your reaction speak for you and you just relax and watch him begin to behave himself.
You might as well just say out the words to him “don’t think I didn’t see you doing that”. It goes a long way to show that you are in charge of your emotions.
“You wanna play? Ain’t Afraid Of You”
Here is a direct way to get back at the person. Do you want this to go on now? Cos, I’m ready to go down with you. I am not afraid of your rude big eyes.
That’s just what you mean when you say those words to them. Most times, they may not be able to step up to your challenge so they’ll just let you be.
Oftentimes, people who start trouble do not really have the stamina to continue the trouble. Invite them into a challenge and they’ll run.
“Do You Have Any Problem With Me?”
It will be good to know where the problem is coming from. Kindly ask the person if there’s any problem he hasn’t settled with you. Most times, there’s none.
Asking that question is also another way of saying that you have noticed his attitude and you don’t like it. It is another way of telling him to stop.
Most times, the person might not want to answer you immediately or he might not have any answer for you. That’s okay, at least you’ve stood up to him.
“Can I Help You?”
I don’t like the way you are looking at me, do you want anything from me? This is a really good thing to say when you catch someone rolling his eyes at you.
You are already helping him by telling him so. Because he’s gonna stop or he’s gonna tell you what is on his mind. Whatever his reaction is, take it and continue your work.
“I Will Say Nothing”
This is probably the last thing that many people will think of. But most times, the best answer is to say nothing at all. Just ignore the person and pretend he doesn’t exist.
If he sees that he’s not getting your attention, he will stop. Some of them may persist until they finally get you to talk. In that case, you can say any of the above words to them.
Remember, you don’t deserve to be disrespected by anyone and eye-rolling is a sign of disrespect. Choose your way of handling anyone who disrespects you.
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