Dealing with Difficult People

Workshop: Dealing with Difficult People

No matter what industry, what role or what country, you will always be required to work with people you find selfish, dishonest, unreasonable, manipulative, unkind or just plain crazy. This workshop is focused on behaviors and mechanisms to help you maintain your sanity and keep your cool when you feel like you're dealing with loonies.

What You'll Explore:

• Understanding Difficult Behavior: Identify common types of difficult people (e.g., aggressive, passive-aggressive, complainers, know-it-alls).
  Explore why people act this way — stress, insecurity, unmet needs, etc.
• Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Fundamentals: Recognizing and managing your own emotions under pressure. Reading emotional cues in others to respond effectively.
• Triggers and Self-Regulation: Understanding your personal triggers. Techniques to stay calm, grounded, and in control.
• Navigating Difficult Personalities: Acquire practical techniques for managing challenging personalities within your workplace, promoting a healthier and more productive work environment.
• Setting and Enforcing Boundaries: How to say “no” respectfully but firmly. Maintaining professionalism while protecting your space.
• Self-Care and Post-Conflict Recovery: Managing stress and emotional residue after difficult interactions. Reflecting and learning to improve future responses.

Equip yourself with insights and practical skills designed specifically for technical professionals stepping into management roles. Join us to redefine your impact and secure your future in technical leadership.

This workshop is held by Rocco King, who has over 30 years experience in global technology management and worked with a wide spectrum of companies, ranging from Fortune 500 organizations such as Google, IBM, Morgan Stanley and Siemens, to smaller teams with only a handful of local staff. Rocco is a life long nerd who learned the lessons he teaches the hard and expensive way, so that you don't have to.

Important Note

Given the broad range of topics in this workshop, covering everything in just two hours won’t be possible. Therefore, I’ll begin with the most important subjects and reserve any remaining material for future sessions.