Training Topic

Dealing with Difficult People

We all encounter people we find difficult, and typically conversations with them leave us feeling stressed and frustrated. This workshop explores what is happening in those exchanges and demonstrates how people can adapt their strategies to bring about more productive conversations with those they find difficult. Individual approaches for dealing with difficult people will be discussed, with an emphasis on understanding and adapting one’s approach to create different results. Participants will explore how to deal with patterns of passive-aggressiveness, resistance, and chronic anger, and how to begin to change difficult patterns using a straightforward, five-step approach.

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Learning Objectives

Upon completion, participants should be able to:

  • Identify and interpret difficult behaviours
  • Examine your personal dynamics with difficult people
  • Choose how to navigate difficult interactions
  • Develop strategic responses based on specific behaviour types
  • Apply self-awareness to leverage influence

Some of the Topics Included

  • What Makes Someone “Difficult”?
  • Shift Judgement to Curiosity
  • The Cycle of Escalating Difficult Behaviour
  • Strategies for Dealing with Bullying Behaviour
  • Strategies for Dealing with Pathological Bullying Behaviour
  • Skills for Dealing with Passive-Aggression and Resistance

Target Audience

This workshop is for anyone who regularly deals with challenging people and wants practical strategies to respond more effectively. Ideal for professionals in leadership, HR, education, healthcare, or customer service, it equips you to recognize difficult behaviour patterns, manage your own responses, and shift unproductive dynamics.

Whether you’re facing bullying, passive-aggressiveness, or ongoing resistance, you will gain tools to stay grounded, set healthy boundaries, and focus on what you can influence.

If you’ve ever left an interaction feeling frustrated or drained, this training will help you approach those situations with greater clarity, confidence, and control.

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Related Resources

Blogs

6 Tips for Dealing with a Difficult Person

Direct Talk About Passive-Aggressiveness

Infographic

Style Inventory for Dealing with Difficult People

4 Steps for Resolving a Misunderstanding

Podcast

Episode 7: What to Do About “Toxic” Coworkers

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