We all have people in our lives that are difficult to deal with, and it can be very challenging to convince them to see the other side. Still, sometimes they are individuals that are close to us or people that we work with on a regular basis. As such, it’s vital to be able to develop strategies for interacting with them in a positive way- one that doesn’t end up in a giant argument every time.
In order to understand how to more effectively deal with them, we have to first try to understand why they are the way they are. It could be that they have issues related to control, maybe they are operating out of fear or anxiety, or perhaps it could be that they are very independent and don’t like to be told what to do. Ascertaining what makes them act “difficult” will enable you to more effectively hone your approach.
Next, you need to think about how you will approach them and what you want out of the situation. Try to plan out your side of the conversation along with their possible responses in advance. This approach will help you keep your cool and quickly pivot if things start to deteriorate.
Give yourself some time, though. It may be that you have to try a few different strategies to get the outcomes and interactions that you desire. Experiment and keep notes on what has worked and what hasn’t worked quite as well. Continue to refine your approach until you feel that your interactions are improving.
We can never entirely free ourselves from difficult people and difficult situations, but, with a little planning, we can set ourselves up for better experiences. Who knows, we might even be the difficult person in the scenario, in which case, we need to similarly plan for and outline our interactions with others.
Either way, we can get better with time and practice. Remember it takes all kinds of people to make the world go round, so employ patience and tolerance and you’ll see positive results