How to Stop A Bully

Brooks Gibbs

In this engaging and practical presentation, youth speaker Brooks Gibbs explains the sociology behind bullying, reframing it not as random meanness, but as 'dominance behavior' driven by a desire for power. He illustrates that bullying is a game of winners and losers: the bully wins when the victim gets upset, and the victim wins when they remain calm and resilient. Gibbs argues that teaching students to develop 'thick skin' and emotional resilience is more effective than merely telling bullies to stop. The video features a clear distinction between verbal bullying (hurting feelings) and physical violence (crimes like assault), emphasizing that crimes require adult intervention while social insults can often be handled by the students themselves. Gibbs posits that empowering students to solve their own social problems is the key to building genuine self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth. To demonstrate his method, Gibbs invites a student on stage for a role-play exercise. Through a humorous and memorable demonstration, he shows exactly how reacting with anger fuels the bully, while reacting with kindness, agreement, or indifference shuts the bullying down instantly. This video provides teachers with a concrete, actionable strategy for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and conflict resolution units.