Lindsay McMahon
"The English Adventurer"

Has somebody ever given you advice that you didn’t really want?

Do you ever find that people offer their opinions even when you aren’t asking for them?

This unsolicited advice can be a really negative thing, and it can create a lot of unpleasant feelings.

Here we look at what makes people offer this unwanted advice, and a few phrases to talk about this very thing.

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Unwanted Advice That You Can’t Avoid

Nobody wants to get unsolicited advice.

It’s not usually well received to get advice that you don’t want or need.

The person giving you the unsolicited advice is often not an expert so they don’t know what they’re talking about.

It can be very condescending to give such advice, so it’s important to remember that.

There are professionals who can speak to things in their field.

The majority of the advice that you get out there however is from somebody who doesn’t know and can come across as very condescending and negative.

Sometimes you have to pay a professional to get the advice and help that you need.

People will always have opinions, particularly that they want to share with you–and this is where unsolicited advice can stem from.

It’s a part of life and conversations that may not be pleasant, but you want to know how to talk about it.

3 Cultural Phrases About Unsolicited Advice

This is a negative thing but it can help to have some phrases to talk about it.

People will always have their opinions and offer them, even when you don’t want them.

When people tell us how we deal with stress, or how we should relax, or change our lives in some way–this is a negative thing when people offer unsolicited advice.

Here are a couple of common phrases that can help you to talk about this negative aspect of conversations.

  1. Armchair Psychologist: This means that somebody who is not a professional psychologist or psychiatrist is giving you advice that they shouldn’t. This is advice coming from somebody who is not a professional, but rather offering their personal opinion.
  2. Backseat Driver: This is somebody who offers their advice when you are driving that is not driving. They often point out what you are doing wrong while you drive, and this may cause you to lose your confidence. They have a hard time just sitting there as a passenger, and therefore point out how they would drive differently. This can apply to other situations besides just driving–when somebody is not in control but is trying to take control.
  3. Monday Morning Quarterback: This is somebody offering their advice after the fact. Looking back you think that you know better and you are expressing that to everyone. This applies to football which is played on Sundays–and what somebody could say should have been done differently after the game was already played. They think they know better, but if they were in your situation they probably wouldn’t have done any better. It’s another form of unsolicited advice, but after the fact.

You don’t want to have to use these phrases, but they are unavoidable.

People will always offer unsolicited advice, and now you know how to talk about it and address it.

People will always offer unsolicited advice, and now you know how to talk about it and address it.

Takeaway

People are always going to offer their advice or opinions, and it’s a part of life.

It’s not always easy to listen to this advice, but now you have some terms to address it.

Be aware of offering unsolicited advice yourself, as it can really be a negative thing.

Now you know what this means, how to talk about it, and you can be sure to avoid doing it in your own life and conversations.

If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.

We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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