Skip Navigation

Dealing with Difficult People

 DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

MARCH 4, 2021

JULIE SALGANIK, FOUNDER AND MANAGING PRINCIPAL OF AVANCE GLOBAL CONSULTING

 

Every person has, at some point, tried to engage with someone who wouldn't see reason. They may be aggressive, argumentative, unreasonable, defensive, domineering, disengage, disinterested, or condescending. Some are nasty, and some refuse to talk; others take passive aggressive jabs and cover those with kind words. It can be frustrating, disheartening, and time-consuming, and can impact your mood, your energy, and your confidence. 

Getting good at dealing with difficult people - maintaining poise, managing negative emotions, remaining constructive, continuing to engage when it makes sense to do so - requires a deep awareness of ourselves and what is getting under our skin, and sufficient curiosity about the "difficult" person and what is motivating them. While we cannot change other people, we can invite more constructive behavior by changing our own mindset and actions. 

This workshop will explore both sides interaction with difficult people from several perspectives; what makes a given person "difficult" for you, what motivates that person to behave as they do, and how to create the conditions for more productive engagement. Participants will come away with a deeper understanding of their own role in interacting with difficult people and some tools and techniques for engaging even the most difficult of counterparts.