When it comes to self-defense, the main objective should be to avoid a dangerous situation. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, the next objective should be to stay out of the reach of an attacker. This is where verbal self-defense comes into play.

Verbal self-defense can be carried out in several different ways. The first thing you should do, if there are other people in the vicinity, is to verbally let people know that you are in danger, or that danger is nearby. You can shout, or scream — but be loud enough to be heard. Don’t hold anything back.

If this does not do anything to lessen the danger of a situation, or if this is not possible, the next way to use verbal self-defense is to talk to your attacker. You do not, however, want to incite him further by verbally attacking him, as this only serves to put you in more potential danger. Instead, talk calmly, and let him know that you are human.

Here, some basic psychology classes will come in handy. Figure out what the attacker wants — what the purpose of the attack is — and you may be able to quickly figure out what to say, if anything, to thwart an attack.

This is not necessarily the time to be honest, either. For example, if you are a female being attacked, and you figure out that the purpose of the attack is rape or sexual assault, you might tell the attacker that you have AIDS or HIV, or some other sexually transmitted disease. Even if you are male, and there is a physical attack, again, you can say that you have AIDS or HIV.

If your attacker does not personally know you, they have no way of knowing for sure, and they may think twice about physically harming you in order to protect themselves.

You can also verbally distract an attacker. For example, if an attacker has a hold of you, look off in a direction behind him, and scream for help, as if you are literally addressing another person behind him. In most cases, he will turn to see who is there or where they are, giving you the opportunity to get away.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.
~ Aristotle