Instead of carefully dancing around the elephant in the room, pull up a chair for the majestic creature.
Elephants have huge ears and are sentient beings. If they’re in the same room with people talking about them, no doubt they will pick up on it.
Avoiding conflict is not a sound business strategy.
There will always be proverbial elephants in the room. Regardless of attempts to keep them out. Ignoring them just makes them sad and angry. Invite the elephant to the table.
Acknowledging is better than avoiding.