Handling Difficult Clients
This programme will help participants to acquire knowledge and understanding around the causes of conflict, interpersonal problems and principles of assertiveness.They will explore skills to help them deal with a range of situations and personalities. Participants will become more self-aware so that they can better analyse their impact and contribution to situations occurring – and the outcome of the dialogue they have.
What the training may cover
Self analysis
- What is our response to aggression? How do we handle it?
- Are there specific types of aggression we find it harder to deal with
Taking control
- Introducing this as a core theme of the session
- Identifying and widening our circles of influence and control
- Choosing our own attitude to challenging situations – and the actions we take in response
- Flexibility and adapting to different people and behaviour
Assertiveness
- Identifying and defining different behavioural types – aggressive, passive and assertive
- Exploring the roots of behaviour – personal beliefs about ourselves and the impact of belief on how we act
- Influencing skills
Conflict handling
- Applying assertiveness to situations in which there is a potential for conflict
- Looking at the different conflict handling modes – avoiding, competing, compromising, accommodating and collaborating
- Handling conflict in groups
- The cross-cultural dimension/dealing with candidates from different cultures
- Tact, diplomacy and sensitivity
Empathy – Dealing with difference
Skills in action
- Practical exploration of a wide range of different scenarios
- Set up and run a series of role-plays involving demanding and aggressive clients
- Video playback and detailed, structured feedback on implementing the skills we have been working on
Practical help on how to handle pressure and to manage personal stress
- Keeping a professional distance
- Recovering and regaining balance after difficult calls
- Handling targets and performance measures
Action planning