MANILA, Philippines – Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach may have had one of the most public awkward moments ever when host Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner on coronation night last year. In fact, she calls it the “most awkward moment of her life.” But she got through it with admirable poise – so we asked her about her best tips to handle the most cringe-inducing everyday situations all of us will eventually have to face, one way or another. 

Here’s how Queen P would deal with the following situations!

Forgetting someone’s name

Everyone forgets a person’s name at one point or another, even Pia. Her advice: just be honest.

“[Say something] like, ‘I’m so sorry, it was so crazy earlier. Can I get your name again, please?’ There’s nothing wrong with asking again, rather than assuming, or God forbid, you say a completely different name. That’s worse.”

Saying something you shouldn’t have said / accidentally being rude 

Like getting someone’s name wrong, acidentlaly saying something insensitive or offensive can immediately get you in someone’s bad graces.

In this case, honesty is, again, the best policy. Pia says, “If you feel like you offended somebody because you missed out on this little bit of information that was really sensitive, then just say sorry. Just say like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I didn’t mean that.'”

Starting a conversation

Pia suggests asking a question that will help you get to know a person, like where they’re from or what they do for work. “Try to find something about that person and then connect it with you, like your personal experience,” she said.

Finding some common ground is important – ask what they do, or why they’re in town, for example. 

Running into an ex

“You better make sure you’re glammed up, girl!” said Pia, laughing, when this situation was presented to her.

She says there’s nothing wrong with approaching your ex and even introducing yourself to his or her date.

“Be the bigger person and approach the person. Yeah, why not? Even if the ex is already with someone, you know, introduce yourself: ‘Hey, I’m Pia, the ex of [the guy],'” she says. Slyly, she jokes: “You know? [In your head, you’re saying,] ‘Magsisi ka sana (I hope you regret it).'”

And if you’re not over your ex, don’t let it show and don’t try to make him or her jealous, either.

Wearing the same outfit as someone else at the party 

Don’t give the haters any time to discuss who wore it better – prevent this possibly awkward scenario by addressing it head-on.

“Just joke about it. Take a selfie, take a photo,” said Pia.

Later, she added, “And then just laugh about it. Unahan mo na yung bash, para ‘di ka na ipagba-bash (Preempt the bashing, so you won’t get bashed). Yeah, it’ll be so awkward if you go to the restroom and try to make some adjustments to the dress, to make it look like it was different?”

Have you ever found yourself in these situations? What did you do to get out of them? Let us know in the comments! – Rappler.com