be pleasant, eventually the bully will have to change for the better. either he will reciprocate or he will stay away from you to avoid your friendliness
mewho: Normal people such as yourself don’t realize that that’s the worst advice to give someone who is dealing with a bully.
Be nice, and a bully will think you’re an easy target for bullying, intimidation and critism, and they will love the “power” they have over you. And they will hurt you over and over and over. They need this “supply”, otherwise how will they feel important if they have nobody to control? Bullies look for friendly nice people, who will be friendly and nice even when treated badly.
This applies mostly to adults. Children usually bully others because they have a hard life or going through a hardship in their life. It’s important to find out why and how to help such a child. Not so an adult. Adults who bully have usually had a hard childhood and they had to learn coping skills, hence the bullying. But by then it’s ingrained in them and usually too late to change them.
The way I deal with a co-worker who is a bully is: I keep away from him when I can. When I do need to speak to him, I speak to him with confidence and with authority and in a detached way. Detachment is always important when dealing with such people. This shows them they have no power of you.