Stop Letting That Difficult Person Ruin Your Day: Effectively Handle Negative Attitudes and Difficult People

Negative attitudes and difficult behaviors get in the way of problem-solving, communication and teamwork, and if they're ignored they drain time and energy and can spread into a toxic workplace culture. This 60-minute webinar on dealing with difficult people gives you practical ways to respond.

You'll learn to recognize typical difficult behaviors, tell apart the four types of attitudes, and adapt how you communicate so you stay calm. The session covers verbal and non-verbal techniques for de-escalating upset people, how to identify the payoff behind challenging behavior, and how to redirect conversations and set boundaries.

The aim is to act rather than react, so you can lead with more confidence and less stress.

• Recognize typical difficult behaviors and respond in ways that move interactions forward
• Regulate your own emotions and defuse tense situations
• Distinguish the four types of attitudes and adapt your communication style
• Use verbal and non-verbal techniques to de-escalate upset individuals
• Identify the payoff behind challenging behavior and set clear boundaries
• Replace reactive habits with proactive problem-solving

Key messages

• How negative attitudes hinder problem-solving, communication and collaboration and raise the risk of mental health issues, absenteeism and harmful behavior
• Why ignoring negativity drains time and energy and slows personal and organizational growth
• How negative attitudes and difficult behaviors spread and create a toxic culture
• Why managing negativity well supports productivity, customer service and competitiveness

Skills you'll practice

• Influence: understanding typical difficult behaviors and moving interactions toward positive outcomes
• Emotional intelligence: regulating your own emotions and defusing tense situations before they escalate
• Attitudes: telling apart the four types of attitudes, how they develop, and adapting your communication style
• Persuasion: verbal and non-verbal techniques and situational strategies for de-escalating upset people
• Control: identifying the payoff behind challenging behavior, redirecting conversations and setting boundaries
• Proactive problem-solving: acting, not reacting, in difficult situations

People who manage negativity well build productive working relationships, while those who don't struggle to stay productive, serve customers and compete. This session helps you regain control of challenging encounters, understand what drives them, and handle them with composure.

It suits HR professionals, health and safety and union reps, supervisors, managers, directors and team leads, not-for-profit executive directors, business owners, entrepreneurs and C-suite leaders.

• Human Resources Professionals
• Health and Safety Reps
• Union Reps
• Supervisors
• Manager
• Directors (Team Leads)
• Executive Directors Not-For-Profit
• Business Owners
• Entrepreneurs
• C-Suite

With an impressive track record spanning over 25 years, Beverly has been guiding her audiences toward mastering their reactions to stress, cultivating a culture of resilience, and achieving thriving, engaged lives through her innovative S-O-S Principle™ and Work Smart Live Smart presentations. Beverly works with teams and leaders to shift from stressed out to resilient, enabling them to be more engaged, productive, and healthy.