Deal with a Car Maniac

We've all dealt with them, or maybe you are one. There are some people that eat, sleep, and breathe cars. If you're a normal person who is just content with their rust bucket car you bought off of a friend's lawn, they may seem like strange people speaking a foreign language. They just know what they like to talk about, even if you don't understand why they must vacuum their car and detail it every week.

Steps

  1. Try asking them to get to work. Ask the workers very nicely to see if they can fix your car and on task politely.
    • We've all had to deal with the two guys in the group that have the same interests and no matter what they do they have to debate about which type of cleaning product is good for their new dealership car. How to protect it from UV ray damage and a bunch of other stuff that doesn't seem relevant but it's their whole life. Try to feign interest and nod politely but then make it seem as though you just remembered we need to get back to work.
  2. Try to laugh it off and be in good humor about it. You're trying not to hurt the car maniac's feelings. After all, you still need to work together. Sometimes this may not be the greatest way. If the person you are trying to talk to doesn't seem to get the hint you may have to be less subtle. Sometimes it takes a lot more effort to deal with car maniacs.</li>
  3. If you're caught in a never ending car story, which can happen to anyone. You will need an escape route[Image:Filmpark_Babelsberg_Fuchur_apel.jpg|center|400px]]Try to distract the person. If they will not stop talking keep looking away from them. Try to give them a signal that you have other things to do.
    • Shift your weight in your chair and make it seem like you're in a hurry. Try to look at your phone and or watch if the situation gets really dire. If all else fails try to say you have an important call to answer and fake answer your phone apologize, then walk away.
  4. Ask someone else who knows the person you're talking about. Mention to them how difficult it is for you to get through to that person. Ask them if they have the same problem. If there is no one to ask maybe a third parties prospective is all you need to shed light on this problem.
  5. If you haven't been successful yet try to just talk it out with them directly. If all these subtle hints don't register with the car maniac try to talk with them about the problem.
  6. Try to start the conversation in a light mannered way. Just ask them if you could sit down and chat for a minute or maybe even get coffee. Try to address the problem in an adult manner. You do not want to create tension between the two of you, especially if you have to work together. Just express your concerns over being on task and completing your work as a team,
  7. Try to let them down gently. Say that you like them as a person but they make doing your work more difficult then it needs to be. If you were on task things would go by more smoothly. Express the fact you appreciate his interests but it's irrelevant to the task you are doing now. Example: "You know we would be on schedule if YOU weren't too busy talking about your car like it was your girlfriend." Offending someone is not the way to go.
    • It will only make the problem worse or it will cut off communication. That could be detrimental to your project.
    • Last resort is going to your Professor and or Boss about the situation. If all else fails and you've tried all of the above it's time to have a talk with someone higher up the food chain. If you've tried to resolve your problems and differences to no avail your next step is talking with your boss or teacher. Explain to them what the problem is and what you have done to try to resolve it and maybe they could give you advice on how to deal with this situation.
    • We've all had to deal with differences in groups. Car Maniacs do not make it easy when that seems to be the only topic they know how to talk about. You have to be adult about the situation even if they annoy you to no end. Trying these 5 solutions are just a start. ultimately if the issue doesn't go away you need to tell your Boss and or Professor/instructor. They will be able to give you some insight into the problem. Hopefully, they will be able to talk with the person and get the problem sorted out. This really is a last ditch effort.
  8. Try the other steps before resulting in this one. Getting your boss or professor involved is the last resort.
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Note

  1. Do not bash or offend the person. You have to be an adult about the situation. Try not to say YOU in an accusing way.
  2. You cannot use step 2 every time you see them. They will get suspicious and if you have to work alongside them using this technique too often will cut off communication and that's no good either.

Related Sites

http://www.scmm.org
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/i-used-to-take-it-as-a-given-that-an-interest-in-vehicl-1464717649
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_club

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