How to Defuse Drama

Sometimes when we see drama starting, we just want to settle down with some popcorn and watch. But even if something starts as drama, it's easy for it to get serious – especially if nobody does anything to help the people involved cool down and step away. When you help your friends, make sure that you're telling them to do stuff that will cool things down and end what's happening instead of making the conflict keep on going.

Don't try to get the people fighting to work it out together. Instead, talk to one or both of them privately. If they say they’re only joking, remind them that what's a joke to one person can really hurt someone else. If they say they're getting back for something that was done to them or to a friend, remind them that it can be hard to tell what someone really means online and that increasing the drama will only make things worse.

Don't forget that you can get help too. Just like an audience can make drama get worse, if several people are refusing to get involved and are helping people cool down it can be a lot more effective.

You can try saying:

"Everybody has a bad day sometimes. Just ignore her for now and you can talk about it face-to-face tomorrow."

"Are you sure he knows how that made you feel? Take a few minutes to cool down before you decide if you need to answer."

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