A few years back, a friend of mine experienced a classic foot-in-mouth moment.
she said to a coworker, who dryly replied, Im not pregnant.
An embarrassment like that makes you want to crawl under a rock and never show your face again.
Tempting, but its probably healthier to recover from that moment.
Ive had my share of embarrassing moments (I swear, the above example was a friend!
), and Ive been on the flip side of the coin, too.
But here are some additional tips to keep in mind with specific moments of embarrassment.
She might be dealing with some medical issues; she might not be ready to announce it.
That being said, I asked my friend how she recovered after making this mistake.
Its certainly a natural reaction, but it might not be the best long-term solution.
Immediately after it happens, its best to quickly apologize, and then put the misunderstanding on you.
Another friend of mine was on the other end of this scenario; someone assumedshewas pregnant.
I asked her how she felt about it.
She told me, The woman kept apologizing every time I saw her.
It was annoying and embarrassing.
Groveling seems natural, too.
And its important to offer agenuine apology.
But you dont want to sayIm so sorryto the point of annoying the person.
This can be a little selfish, because it forces them to reassure you.
This helps build up a good rapport so your blunder can be sooner forgotten.
I once called a new boyfriend the name of my last long-term boyfriend, and I immediately panicked.
Instead of addressing the fact that it was purely habit, I said: Well, that was weird.
Of course, this was not comforting.
There wasnt, but I was scared, and Im terribleon my feet, so I blurted it out.
Ive been on the other side of this one, too.
A new boyfriend called me a different name, then said, Woah.
That was, like, two girlfriends ago.
Also not the best response.
I hate my exsomuch:Yeah, we get it.
Youre not in love with your ex anymore.
But this suggests there are still some feelings there.
I promise Ill never do that again: Makes it worse if you do it again.
There are a number of perfectly understandable reasons why you might call your current partner your exs name.
When youre doing damage control, focus on those.
Maybe the names sound similar.
Maybe its just habit.
Sending the Wrong Email
Gmails undo featureis a godsend, but mistakes still happen.
At work, its a bad idea to talk smack in general.
Or maybe its not an offensive email.
Maybe its just personal.
Either way, own up to it and follow up with an apology email.
Make it simple and to-the-point.
You dont want to draw more attention to the situation with a long, drawn-out explanation.
Best,
-Peter Shankman
And weve got some additional tips onhow to avoid this in the first place.
Its not limited to tooting or belching, either.
Maybe your stomach wont stop growling during a meeting.
Whatever the scenario, recovering from a bodily function mishap can be tricky.
Do you own up to it, or do you avoid drawing attention to it altogether?
Workplace Divamakes this suggestion:
The more obvious the bodily malfunction, the more you should just own it.
If its really obvious, you might have to fall back on a simple excuse me.
Of course, every bodily function story is different, and your mileage may vary.
I once sat down quickly at my desk while wearing a skirt.
My legs rubbed against each other, causing an unfortunate sound.
But I knew my explanation wasnt much better, so I completely ignored it and kept on working.
It was one of the best snap decisions Ive ever made.
We all do stupid things every now and then, so people are usually more understanding than you think.
Addressing the flub makes it easier to face coworkers, friends, or loved ones in the future.
Itll also help you move on from that moment and forget it ever happened in the first place.
