Actually, I’ve found that silence can sometimes knock a little sense into their heads.
There’s an old saying about dignity being a sign of reserve stength. It creates a little bit of wonder in the minds of those who need to ‘mouth off’ to make themselves feel valid - a sort of ‘subliminal message’ of a better way :-)
I know, it makes them go ‘Uh-oh’ inside and then, they go silent, because they’re scared. Kids...