Avoiding the three C's, was a term I learned a long time ago that still makes quite a bit of sense to this day.  A training I attended many years ago asked us to avoid criticizing, condemning and complaining.  All three of these C's are usually associated with a downward spiral conversation.  That is the type of conversation that does not forward the action and instead enables people to regress or stay in the same place.  It is not hard to talk to people and recognize a downward spiral conversation, as they will usually be providing you with an example of one of the C's as they proceed.  You can disagree with someone or provide your own point of view on a situation, without going into the downward spiral.  I tested how much this happens many years ago, when I went into a break area at work and said nothing.  I had a book with me and was reading it and simply listened to those around me.  Most of the people around managed to hit on one of the C's during the course of their conversation.  It wasn't until I realized that I could have easily been a contributor to such a conversation, that I made a decision to begin filtering these out and not participating in them.  I figured if I wasn't part of the active audience, then it was harder for the downward spiral to continue.  It takes time, however, you can learn new habits and allowing yourself to add this to your list of attributes will make for more peaceful and productive days ahead.