Pretend not to notice but every now and then respond anyway as if you could notice more than it seems. I think this is how my ex-wife got the reputation of knowing, seeing and hearing everything.
Look away in a way that makes it clear that you are looking away intentionally, e.g., by turning away very obviously, or making some noises about it. This can be used to teach that some things are borderline, or private, or something else. The stronger version of this is leaving the room and letting them figure out a problem on their own.
I use a version of this second strategy as a pedestrian when drivers are waiting for me to cross when I don’t have the right of way. Often the safest and fastest thing is for them not to have stopped (since they block visibility, are acting unpredictably, and don’t have control over other vehicles on the road). If you don’t acknowledge them, they are more likely to continue on their way faster
Some other tricks:
Pretend not to notice but every now and then respond anyway as if you could notice more than it seems. I think this is how my ex-wife got the reputation of knowing, seeing and hearing everything.
Look away in a way that makes it clear that you are looking away intentionally, e.g., by turning away very obviously, or making some noises about it. This can be used to teach that some things are borderline, or private, or something else. The stronger version of this is leaving the room and letting them figure out a problem on their own.
I use a version of this second strategy as a pedestrian when drivers are waiting for me to cross when I don’t have the right of way. Often the safest and fastest thing is for them not to have stopped (since they block visibility, are acting unpredictably, and don’t have control over other vehicles on the road). If you don’t acknowledge them, they are more likely to continue on their way faster
If I want to make it clear that cars should continue I turn my back to the road