Establishing Rapport with Difficult People

As part of our thirst to improve the interpersonal skills of change makers we are often asked how to deal more effectively with difficult people and in difficult situations. How do you deal with the;

• Heckler who interrupts during a major presentation
• Manager who over-talks on every occasion and fails to listen
• Employee who does not want to sit through an assessment
• Boss who puts task before people
• Team Leader who fails to deliver objective, timely and equitable appraisals
• Cynic who rejects any commitment to change when attending a training event
• Senior managers who over evaluate and get stuck in the detail
• Colleagues who fail to share responsibility for a joint project
• Direct Reports who conform only sufficiently to avoid dismissal
• Staff who think the business owes them a living
• Long server who equates attendance and length of employment with advancement up the business

Problem Employee

There are literally thousands of situations which require managers and team leader at all levels to deal effectively with the problem employee and it is not so easy without tuition, support, practice and a set of trusted techniques that work.

Specific Workshop to Deal with the Issues

We have designed a process to aid those organisations who are experiencing bad behaviour. This is a powerful and energetic workshop experience “Establishing Rapport and Winning over Difficult People”.

How does it work?

We visit with you to establish the key issues you would like to address. Maybe it is an issue related to “change management” or “post merger or acquisition” problems where there is difficulty in getting the new business to settle down into a running format.

There may be a requirement to change the culture of the organisation to become widely customer focused, both internally and externally and to get into the 21st Century. it could be that staff need a complete overhaul in “performance management”, giving and receiving feedback. Whatever the context, we can help support you in this most difficult area and most difficult time

Benefits of the Workshop

All participants take an active role in a highly interactive Workshop and leave at the end of the session being able to:

• Assess “bad behaviour” in any of its formats
• Develop strategies for dealing with bad behaviour
• Assess core symptoms
• Walk in the boots of those awkward people and see the world from their perspective
• Prepare and deliver bad news
• Apply questioning techniques to explore why people will not co-operate
• Listen to the concerns of others and develop “scenario switching”
• Apply reframing techniques to get others to think differently
• Examine selling strategies and how they work
• Differentiate passive from active resistance to change – learn to move people along their change curve
• Explore and counter the core defence mechanisms that people employ to avoid doing what you want them to do
• Work in role play exercises to improve personal performance
• Read “bad behaviour” before receiving it
• Develop techniques to counter the negative before it hits
• Learn to read and manage their boss

For more details on how we can help your Team Leaders, Managers and Staff assert themselves, take charge and deal effectively with the difficult person or difficult situation, phone Ann on 44(0)131-346-1276 or email us

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