MANAGEMENT & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Managing The Minefields: Coping With Difficult People At Work
Bad attitude… or badly handled? Upset customers can be time consuming and frustrating to deal with. Encouraging demanding patients (and their families) to be compliant in their medical treatments can lead to misunderstanding and unwelcome outcomes. Managing and motivating a workforce can sometimes seem to be a matter of merely managing the minefields of difficult people and their challenging behaviours.
However one episode of challenging behaviour does not mean the person is always difficult. For example, stress or ill-health in a healthcare setting can explain certain episodes of behaviour. But for some people 'being difficult' is a way of being.
Through communication, commitment, and a little patience managers and employees can be effective change agents in themselves and for others.
Aims of workshop
But what can be done if the behaviour patterns are repeated and your 'hot buttons' are being punched time and time again? The workshop focuses on improving our understanding of the language and actions, as well as our own, in order to avoid conflict - and bring out the best in people.
Objectives
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants should be able to:
- Outline basic social styles
- Identify types of challenging behaviours
- Describe why people become difficult
- Understand ways in which negativity impacts on personal relationship and professional performance
- Identify positive strategies for dealing with challenging personalities
- Use techniques to develop assertive responses and give feedback to difficult people to effect change
Workshop programme
Participants may be introduced to a range of subjects drawing on:
- Why do people behave the way they do?
- Communication barriers
- Some classic types of challenging behaviours: whiners, perfectionists, manipulators, people pleasers, snipers and show offs
- Effective strategies for dealing with difficult people including defining your boundaries, addressing repetitive behaviours and gaining compliance
- How to neutralise behaviour by using blending techniques to reduce differences and redirecting communicating
- Active listening and questioning techniques including advocacy and inquiry
- The elephant in the living room - the role of conflict
- Assertive communication
- 'I can't solve your problem - I am the problem!' Strategies for dealing with your own difficult personality
