How to (politely) tell your coworker to stop chewing gum loudly

How to (politely) tell your coworker to stop chewing gum loudlyHow to (politely) tell your coworker to stop chewing gum loudlyOffices are plagued with annoyingly noisy coworkers who chew gum too loudly, use their outdoor voice for indoor conversations, and keep you distracted from getting your actual work done. Its an epidemic that strikes nearly all of us - one study found that the lack of sound privacy was the biggest frustration for employees in open cubicles.Even though these noises drive us crazy, we may choose to suffer in silence, because we know it can be socially inappropriate to start an office war over gum chewing. But theres anotlageher way.Alison Greens new Ask a Manager podcast wants you to stop suffering in silence and address these noises distractions with grace and equanimity. Heres how you can walk the fine line between telling your coworkers off and politely asking for them to lower their voiceMake the request light and casualBefore you bring this up with the lip- smacking, gum-chewing offender, take some perspective on your request. Recognize that this may be a tricky conversation, but it should not be an aggressive or mean one. You are asking someone to change their behavior for you. Respect what you are asking of them, and do not make a big deal of the behavior itself. This is a request, not a battle.When Green role plays an employee asking her coworker to lower their voice, she keeps her voice breezy. She even adds in a laugh to make her tone slightly self-deprecating when she says, I know this is weird.The sound of gum being chewed is like nails on a blackboard to me. Is there any chance I can ask you to try to chew it more quietly?Green says that the laughingly casual tone shows that you are not taking the behavior too seriously, because gum chewing does not merit a serious tone. It signals that you havent lost perspective.You realize that you might be being nitpicky.You could even make it all about yourself, sort of about your own neur oses, she advises.For some of us, being annoyed by gum-chewing is a part of our neuroses. Medically, its calledmisophonia, a selective sound sensitivity syndromethat triggers a fight-or-flight response to certain noises. For those who have it, the sound of gum-chewing fills them with rage. Even the sound of a banana being eaten can make them see red. Unfortunately, offices are filled with triggers like this.If you are dealing with misophonia, you can use Greens tips to keep yourself cool in your request even as your body is telling you to act out.