This easy tip comes from a friend of mine, who used to run a program for kids. He dealt with thousands of parents, who sometimes said some shocking things. He taught his staff to do one simple thing when a parent said something that might be objectionable. He had them repeat what the parent said as a question. Not try to restate what the person said in their own words (which is harder), just literally to repeat the same exact words.
Repeat what they just said
Repeat what they just said
Repeat what they just said
This easy tip comes from a friend of mine, who used to run a program for kids. He dealt with thousands of parents, who sometimes said some shocking things. He taught his staff to do one simple thing when a parent said something that might be objectionable. He had them repeat what the parent said as a question. Not try to restate what the person said in their own words (which is harder), just literally to repeat the same exact words.