Managing Conflict and Difficult People

This workshop provides leaders, managers and individuals with the tools, skill and knowledge that will enable them (and their organizations) to manage and resolve workplace conflicts successfully.

Course Outline

Conflict and difficult people in the workplace is inevitable. Business, individuals and society are ever-changing. As a result, interpersonal relations, individual expectations and unexpected events all cause personal stress that makes conflict a constant companion. The challenge is that most people unconsciously react to conflict, yet now more than ever, individuals, managers and leaders must learn to prevent, manage and resolve conflict before a minor misunderstanding becomes a major battle.

In addition, this program will explore how people interact and react to each other, on the impacts of various difficult personalities types and the typical behaviour patterns that are destructive to teams and relationships in both a personal and professional context.

The goal of this workshop is to enable you to catch yourself before a conflict occurs, then to choose a different response. This simple step will take you out of the reactionary response (based on past conditioning). Successful leaders, managers and individuals all have this ability and it is what allows them to quickly and effectively deal with conflict. When conflict is managed properly it can actually contribute to the individuals', teams' and organizations' success by turning a conflict situation into an opportunity for growth.

This workshop provides leaders, managers and individuals with the tools, skill and knowledge that will enable them (and their organizations) to manage and resolve workplace conflicts successfully. You will gain insight into your personal conflict management styles and learn how to better prepare yourself in dealing with others.

Through interactive presentations, exercises and case studies, you will explore the nature of conflict and approaches to dealing with it. You will practice applying a collaborative problem-solving approach to resolve conflict and learn how to build (and rebuild) trust and relationships damaged by previous conflict.

Topics covered in this workshop include:

  • The causes of conflict,
  • Recognizing, defining and describing conflict,
  • The four reactions to conflict,
  • The five steps to managing conflict,
  • Difference between assertive, aggressive and non-assertive behaviours,
  • Understanding the Win-Win Outcome in conflict,
  • Emotions and their effect on behaviour,
  • The 21 difficult personality types and their associated traits,
  • Dealing with anger and hostility,
  • Developing assertiveness.

Learning outcomes for this workshop include:

  • Recognize and avoid self-destructive personal behaviour patterns,
  • Demonstrate assertiveness in dealing with conflicts,
  • Avoid the habit of blame and self-defensiveness,
  • Repair damaged relationships,
  • Identify and own your emotions in difficult situations,
  • Recognize your reactions and how they are triggered,
  • Understand anger and the dynamics of emotional conflict,
  • Gain a better understanding of behaviour styles and how to interact effectively with them,
  • Understand the consequences of self-perception and how they affect situations involving difficult people,
  • Turn conflict into a collaboration using a win-win framework,
  • Apply the five steps in addressing conflicts.

Training Location

Gaski Training Centre
7181 Woodbine Ave, Suite 103

Markham, Ontario
Canada