There are some topics so delicate that if touched in a careless manner, things will sour for worse. Hence it is important to initiate careful steps and words while communicating with a friend about personal matters such as body odor.
Below are simple ways to approach a friend with body odour:
- Discuss the situation in private. If you choose to address the issue with an individual in-person, talk to the individual in a quiet location away from other people
- 2. Address the individual face-to-face, over the phone or by email. If the individual is likely to be embarrassed, sometimes it is best to talk to the person through a medium rather than in-person. Do well to console the person if embarrassed or make follow- up when communicating through email.
- Be direct. You want to be kind, but you also want to state your concerns as clearly as possible to prevent on-going discussions about this matter. Find the most appropriate, considerate way to state your point while retaining clarity.
4.Be sensitive. Sometimes, body odors can stem from personal or medical issues. Certain diseases or medications, for instance, can cause a person to smell in particular ways. Likewise, depression might cause a person to skip showers or washing his or her clothes.
5.Avoid making assumptions about their personal hygiene. It could be that the individual is having financial issues, or is overburdened by other obligations and has resorted to cutting out showers to save time.
6.Offer help. The knowledge that someone is there for him and willing to help will help him feel supported as he struggles with correcting his odor issues.
7.Understand that body odors are individual and often culturally determined. Each person has a unique smell, which others may find agreeable or disagreeable. A person’s smell comes from a combination of biological and environmental factors, and different cultures may not react the same way to the same smell. Keep in mind that a person’s odor that you find offensive might seem perfectly fine to others.
- 8. Try offering some praise first. You can make the news a little easier to take by saying something nice to your friend before telling him or her about the odor problem. Explain it in such a way that the person won’t be offended.
- 9. Use the “positive sandwich” method This is where you say something nice first, then break the bad news, then end by saying something encouraging again.
- Don’t tell your friend if others have complained.If a person thinks that everyone has noticed the odor and has been talking about it, things can become very awkward.End the conversation on a positive note.
Source: Ghana/StarrFMOnline.com/103.5FM/With Files fromLIVESTRONG.COM
