Dealing With Difficult People

We’ve all dealt with difficult people before and are likely to again. Maybe we’ve also been “difficult” ourselves? Mediator and former middle school math and STEM teacher Huck Wilken talks with Joyce about dealing with difficult people. A lot of conflict starts with miscommunication. Huck explains that managing our own emotional response is the first step in dealing with difficult people in conflict situations. Dealing with difficult people requires a steady presence, neither being defensive nor offensive. The next step is to listen authentically; everyone, including a difficult person, wants their truth to be heard. And we need to speak our truth so that we’re heard as well. Joyce and Huck also talk about meditation a little bit, emphasizing that mediation places the emphasis on difficult situations, not difficult people.

 

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Learn more about the OEA Mediation Network 

20 Expert Tactics for Dealing with Difficult People - Psychology Today