Achieving Success with Difficult People

This course will teach you how to see things from others' viewpoints based on their needs, values, beliefs, experiences, skills, knowledge, and self-interests. You will learn to approach difficult situations by answering the questions: who? what? where? when? how? and why? By answering these questions, you will understand who your difficult people are, what they're like, how you react to them, and their response to your actions.

You will also practice analyzing your interactions with those you share space with. By observing others closely, you will learn to read their identifying characteristics. Once you can identify which type of person you're dealing with, you will be able to choose appropriate reactions to their behaviors.

By the time you finish this course, you will understand that assertiveness involves taking responsibility when meeting your needs in a way that preserves the dignity and rights of others.

What you will learn

• Become proficient at identifying and working with different personality types
• Build assertive communication skills that benefit your personal and professional life
• Learn how to improve relationships with difficult, stubborn, or even hostile individuals
• Develop awareness of your own tendencies and how these affect your relationships

How you will benefit

• Improve relationships with family, friends, and co-workers
• Get what you want out of people and be sure your personal needs are met
• Become an expert communicator and listener
• Understand the motivations behind the actions and behaviors of all people

Outline

Identifying Preferred Communication Styles

In the first lesson, you will find out the answers to four very important questions that impact the success of your relationships with others. The answers to these questions will help you identify your preferred communication styles.

Analyzing Your Own Difficult-Person Situation

In this lesson, you will begin to build a database about not only your difficult people—those who are different in communication style from you. You will also enhance your skills in reviewing and resolving problems with these people.

Dealing With Hostile-Aggressive Personality Types

This lesson discusses four types of hostile people. These are people who want to control everything and everyone but have no self-control. This group is called Hostile-Aggressives.

Dealing With Difficult Passive Personality Types

In this lesson, you will learn appropriate options for interacting well with those who are stubborn or critical—people known as Negative-Thinkers.

Dealing With Aggressive Subcategories of Difficult Intuitors

This lesson focuses on the appropriate way to effectively deal with aggressive individuals. You will learn how to recognize these people and share space with them.

Identifying and Dealing With Relators

In this lesson, you will take another look at another personality type called Relators. Plus, you will learn ways to effectively handle the difficult subcategories of this type.

Overcoming Your Own Difficult Characteristics

Some of your difficult people probably also feel that you're their difficult person, but you may be totally unaware of this. Do you feel that ignorance is really bliss? You will go through some exercises in this lesson that should help you figure it out.

Developing Skills to Become More Flexible

In this lesson, you will work toward improving your own flexibility skills: confidence, tolerance, empathy, positivity, and respect. To help, you will answer a few questions about each of your own skill sets as you move through the lesson's materials.

Exploring Resilience-Building Strategies

In this lesson, you will learn that a certain set of characteristics is essential if you want to relate well with others. As you will find out, you must first improve your versatility skills to maintain a positive attitude, and then learn to view obstacles and problems as "opportunities."

Discovering the Importance of Assertiveness to Positive Relationships

After finishing this lesson, you will understand what assertiveness is and what it isn't. You will begin to see why assertive behavior is so important to your success in getting along well with others. You will also carefully examine your own level of assertiveness and identify which of your skills need fine-tuning.

Changing Your Own Assertiveness Skills

This lesson focuses on simple, yet powerful assertive-communication techniques. You will learn to use self-disclosure appropriately to share information about yourself—your thoughts, feelings, and opinions—to build relationship trust and common ground.

Learning Techniques to Improve Your Listening Abilities

After this final lesson, you may be surprised to discover that your listening skills need improvement. Listening well is a complex process, and your own selective filtering often keeps you from real understanding.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.