How to Be Mean and Intimidating when Necessary

It's a mean world out there. No, being mean all the time isn't the
answer, but sometimes a situation can come up when you'll need to
really look and be intimidating and show people you're tough. However,
this can be quite difficult, especially if you're normally a shy and
sweet person. For some tips on how to go about this when you really
need to, just read on.


1

Stand Your Ground.

No matter what, don't back down. Even if someone says something that makes your opinion look rubbish, keep backing up what you think and saying exactly what you
think. Don't go, "Yeah, I guess you're right, man, I stink," that kind
of thing. Keep going. Even if you lose, it'll show people you won't
back down and that you stand up for what you believe in. Just make sure
you don't give the impression that you are too stubborn to hang around.

2

Act Confident.

If you hang your head and look
away, people aren't going to take you seriously. It's not hard to act
confident-it's just like acting happy or sad. It only takes a few
steps-roll back your shoulders, hold your head up and look people in
the eye. Practice with your family at home and you'll get better

3

Be Reserved.

This can be accomplished through
controlled use of facial expressions and verbal language. Remain polite
in your manner, but at the same time don't give too much away about
yourself. You might find that it helps to keep conversations brief and
matter-of-fact, without going into personal details. This will create a
sense of mystery and uncertainty for others, when it comes to your
interactions with them. Also remember not to appear afraid or
intimidated - as otherwise this will ruin the desired effect

4

Portray a Lack of Positive Emotions.

This includes avoiding behaviours such as laughing, joking, and smiling -
even if normally these are typical behaviours you show towards others.
If you find this difficult, aiming to be as generally emotionless as
you can - within the specific situation you're trying to appear
mean/intimidating in - might help with this. However expressing
negative emotions such as anger bursts or irritability is acceptable -
as these will likely lead to intimidating the person/people on the
receiving end

5

Use an Appropriate Voice Tone When Speaking.

Make sure that you sound confident, tough and sure of yourself. Don't
talk so quietly people can't hear you. Talk just a little bit louder
than usual, to make sure you're heard. It'll silence people, too. Don't
say anything to provoke an argument or that might get you in trouble,
but make sure you say what you think in a slightly more tough than
usual kind of way

6

Be Blunt in Expressing Your Opinions of Others.
If it happens that someone has made a bad decision or doesn't look good
in some way, plunge ahead and be honest about it with them - but
without being tactful as you won't give the impression of being mean if
you do so. You'll likely achieve the effect you're after even better if
you use a sarcastic manner when making your comments

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Tips


If you're thinking of using them, don't go overboard on the anger
bursts. It's one thing to express anger through facial expressions and
words. But another to threaten somebody with physical harm. Avoid this
at all costs, as otherwise it'll get you into trouble and you'll
probably end up getting hurt anyway

Using your facial muscles, push your eyebrows together to create an intense and stern look when speaking and making your point


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Warnings


◘
Trying these techniques might still lead to trouble or a fight, so be
careful in your choice of words and actions around specific people. Use
your best sense of judgement as to what is likely to work without being
likely to lead to greatly problematic situations

◘
Trying these steps is highly unlikely to score you popularity points.
People often don't like others who make a habit of being mean or
intimidating

◘
If you really don't like the idea of potentially offending, or making
possible enemies out of other people, this article probably isn't for
you