In the workplace, you will often have to disagree with what someone says to you or let someone know that you are displeased by some action. When you disagree or let someone know of your displeasure, you should always do so in a way that is tactful and diplomatic, that is to say, in a way that does not disparage, or put down, the other person and their actions. We live in a society in which popular culture seems to value more and more the blunt statement, or even the put-down. Television and movies are filled with tough-talking people, some of whom work in the healthcare professions or play roles of those who do, and who are favorably portrayed for “telling it like it is” or “shooting from the hip,” usually getting the last nasty word in. In the real world of work, however, such blunt talk cannot only hurt others’ feelings but can also land you in professional trouble. Let’s suppose, for example, that you work on an internal medicine unit in a large hospital. At the nurse’s station, a colleague of yours has been gossiping to you about the recent break-up of the supervising nurse’s marriage. Your colleague has begun to tell you detailed private information—information you really should not know— about your supervisor. You need to remove yourself from this conversation by saying something tactful and diplomatic. 
You could say to your colleague, “This is probably something I shouldn’t know, and besides, I have to attend to some of my patients.
 Please excuse me.” By saying this, you would demonstrate tact and diplomacy. You would let the other person know two things: first, that you do not want to engage in idle workplace gossip, and second, that you are there to work and serve the needs of the patients.