Don’t Take It Personally
In this week’s video blog, Kit Welchlin offers four helpful strategies to use when dealing with difficult people so that you won’t take it personally. Just remember, it’s not personal. They might treat everyone this way. These techniques will help you to respond rather than react. When dealing with difficult people, we have to have thicker skin.
Here are four techniques that can be game changers in conversations with difficult people.
- Move Closer – At the next meeting with the person, instead of sitting in the opposite side of the room, just move over one chair. Next month, move another chair closer. And repeat. Pretty soon you’ll be sitting right next to them, changing the distance changes the dynamic.
- Remember It’s a Game – Repeat to yourself that this is just a game. The game could be intimidation or it could be humiliation. But, since it is a game, you get to choose whether or not to play.
- Think of Them as a Metaphor – Think of that difficult people as a metaphor, not a human being. A human wouldn’t treat you this badly. For example, think of them as a kangaroo. Just imagine how silly that would make them look to you. That way, when they approach you, you would laugh rather than get upset.
- Laugh – Make sure you don’t take it seriously. When you laugh, it releases endorphines which relieve stress. This will help you from dragging the negative episodes into the relationship which may still be innocent.
If you use these techniques, you can take away a lot of stress and the strain of having to interact with people that become difficult. Just remember to not take it personally.
For more insight into dealing with difficult people, watch Kit’s presentation on Handling Difficult People: Dealing With People You Can’t Stand. And don’t for get to check back here next Monday for another video blog.