This Issue

• Who should attend?
• Workshop Objectives
• Methodology
• About the Trainer

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MANAGING CONFLICT AND DIFFICULT PEOPLE IN THE WORKPLACE

Overview

Difficult people and situations are inevitable parts of our personal and professional lives. More often than not, it is not the subject matter that makes these situations difficult but the personalities, motives, and underlying feelings of the people involved. It is critical to the success of you and your organization to learn how to deal with these difficult people and situations.

Most people get emotional when they encounter difficult people, difficult situations, and conflict, or try to avoid them in the first place. These natural responses do not serve us well. Avoiding or appeasing only prolongs the problem, and responding emotionally only adds fuel to the fire. By understanding the nature of conflict, the dynamics of personality, and some simple yet specific strategies for handling difficult people and situations, you can turn these challenges to your advantage.

In this intensive, one-day workshop participants will learn how to manage conflict in the workplace and in their personal lives. They will learn to recognize different types of difficult people and situations, and different approaches to conflict. Most importantly, participants will learn skills for handling difficult people and situations while maintaining and improving relationships.

Who should attend:

This workshop is suitable for anyone, but is especially useful for managers, supervisors, sales professionals, business development executives, entrepreneurs, customer service staff, and administrative staff.

Workshop Outline:

Introduction

• What is conflict?
• Principles of conflict resolution
• Your approach to conflict
• The five approaches to conflict, and when to use them
• The Conflict Triangle: Victims, persecutors, and rescuers

Handling Difficult Situations: Separating People from the Problem

• The language of emotion
• Listening
• Nonverbal communication
• Ten ways to say “No”

Dealing with Difficult Personalities and Styles

• The Four Social Styles
  • Recognizing the four styles
  • Working with the four styles

• Dealing with differences
  • Rapport
  • Blending

Dealing with Difficult People

• The three main types of difficult people and how to handle them
• Situationally difficult
• Strategically difficult
• Intrinsically difficult
• Some other types of difficult people – and the merely annoying

Summary and Closing

Workshop Objectives:

• Identify the nature of conflict.
• Recognize five approaches to conflict and identify your approach
• Understand the critical role of emotion when dealing with difficult people and situations, and how to defuse it
• Learn ten ways to say “No” without causing offense
• Identify the four social styles and how to communicate with each
• Learn how to minimize differences through building rapport and blending
• Recognize three types of difficult people and how to deal with each type
• Learn strategies for dealing with other types of difficult and annoying people

Methodology:

• Presentation and discussion
• Interactive sessions
• Case studies
• Role plays
• Individual exercises
• Group activities
• Video

About the Trainer

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, USA, David Goldwich has been living in Singapore and working throughout Asia since 1999. He has MBA a JD degrees and practiced law in the United States for more than ten years, arguing before judges and advocating before political, governmental, and community bodies. David is trained as a mediator and has experience managing a small business as well.

Recognizing that lawyers perpetuate rather than solve problems, David began lecturing and training in 1995. He has taught at the tertiary level in the USA and in Singapore, teaching in the areas of law, management, organizational behavior, communications skills, and critical and creative thinking.

David applies the “80/20 Rule” to training by identifying the few critical tools necessary for the greatest improvement and presenting them in a form that is simple to learn and simple to use. David's ability, sense of humor, and wealth of experience enable him to deliver breakthrough changes at all levels.

David specializes in the area of persuasive communications, including negotiation, conflict management, assertiveness, presentation skills, and using stories in business.

David has written numerous articles on business and communications issues, and is the author of the book Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?: Lessons in Effective Communication. He has delivered presentations to large and small audiences and hosted a television talk show. As a member of Toastmasters International, he has won multiple speech competitions.

Some of David’s recent projects in the region include Allianz Insurance Management Asia Pacific, Siemens, Singapore Technologies, Timken, SCOR, Panalpina World Transport, American Express, Vietnam Power Telecom, OCBC Bank, Keppel Corp., 3Com, KBR, Reed Business, BP, Shell, Petronas, Deutsche Bank, Lafarge Cement, Trumpf, MUIS, AETOS Security Management, Satair, Kerry Ingredients, Talisman Energy, Amtek Engineering, BHP Billiton, Carl Zeiss, SGH, and the Republic of Singapore Navy, Mindef, Land Transport Authority, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IRAS, Police Force, and Ministry of Law.