The RIGHT Way to Deal With a Big Ego

Sometimes, there is nothing worse than dealing with a big ego.

Imagine that you’re at a social event. You begin socializing with someone but quickly realize you’ve made a grave mistake.

All your conversation partner wants to talk about is how awesome they are! They’re continually bragging and boasting about who they are, what they do, and how they do it!

No matter what you say, the conversation always shifts to them. And you just can’t seem to find a polite way out of the conversation.

What do you do?

We all know that these bragadocious folks can be irritating, narcissistic individuals whose self centeredness knows no bounds.

Take my good friend Sam for instance. I simply no longer invite them to parties, because every time they converse with the other guests it’s all about how much money they made last month or their latest trip to China.

Their ego is so big that it is a complete turn off and puts a damper on the party as a whole.

However, there are a few things you can do when dealing with a big ego (like my buddy Sam’s) without sacrificing the moral high road:

1. Establish authority. You must establish yourself as an assertive individual who is worthy to speak and be heard. Don’t let them interrupt you to interject their personal anecdotes or hijack the conversation. Instead, continue your train of thought until you feel comfortable releasing the conversation back over to them. If they become frustrated with their inability to interrupt, they’ll simply walk away and find another easier victim. Win-Win.

2. Repeat their words back to them. All these individuals want is to be heard. Thus, they’ll keep talking in circles until they’re blue in the face! Fortunately, there is a solution. Simply repeat back to them what they said. They will eventually realize they have been heard and either move onto another topic or end the conversation right there. This is also your moment to either take control of the dialogue or run to the hills.

3. Avoid them when possible. The ego or bravado of these people may be so big that you may see or hear them from a mile away. Sometimes your best bet is to avoid them completely if possible. Switch discussion circles often to avoid being stuck one-on-one with the egotist and only engage him if absolutely necessary.