There are some comments that are just bound to wind people up or annoy them. In Chapter 6 of the brilliant book Verbal Judo,11 phrases are introduced that you need to avoid. I also talk about why they can cause the conversation to breakdown and your relationships to weaken. In addition to sharing with you what the authors suggest and what you can say instead, I add a couple of examples of my own to put them into context. The tone of voice is mentioned too.

No doubt you will resonate with most of them and will be able to think about a situation in which these phrases have caused friction. I weave in some intercultural insights from my family life where my German Dad used to find such quick apologies very annoying.