In my decade of advising Fortune 500 companies as a behavioral researcher, I've found that one of the most effective ways to stop a manipulator is one key phrase: "That's interesting. Tell me more." Manipulative people thrive on emotional reactions, confusion and ambiguity. This simple phrase helps neutralize that and change the power balance in the conversation. With "that's interesting," you're acknowledging what's been said without validating or challenging the claim. You're simply signaling: