The Essentials Of Talking To Difficult People

Most of us will encounter difficult people as we go about our daily work. Hence it is extremely crucial to know such skills of people relationship. On Friday yesterday, I was training the Consultants on “Managing Difficult Clients”. There were plenty of truly insightful sharing and lots of discussions were made.

In the workshop, I could sense the genuine concern and commitment of the participants as they share how they interact with their own clients. Their strong desire in learning to improve their working with people is indeed highly commendable.

1. Centre yourself first before you communicate with them. You have to be calmer and your mindset has to be more stable when speaking with the person.

2. Remember that you are allowed to assert yourself with a balanced degree. A caution to note is: never let the aggressiveness overwhelm you… or else you’ll become another difficult person. This might aggravate the whole communication. Knowing how to assert rightly is thus vital.

3. Discover the underlying reasons for them being difficult and address them. It is not always apparent or specific as to why a particular person is difficult. Such reasons are hence represented by an overly raised voice, a whiny weep or other awkward reaction. You will find it most helpful to address these issues as precisely as possible.

4. Provide a viable alternate solution to what they want. Certain difficult personality appears because that person wants something but is denied of having it. Hence, the emergence of such behavior becomes a coping strategy in an attempt to vent and to obtain whatever they are looking for. Should you not be able to give them, provide the person with other options. That will at least increase the likelihood of an improved behavior.

A recognizable fact remains that it’s never an easy task to work or talk to difficult people. Hence, regular practice or simulation will prove to be most useful. Such skills are usually not acquired overnight. Learn to develop your people handling skills with experience over time.

In this way, your relationships will Excel Beyond Excellence!

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