Handling irrational people

Some people just aren’t rational. Here are four ways to stay sane around them

Do you work with someone whose reasoning defies logic? Does your boss go off the deep end at the slightest thing? Is a client driving you to distraction with unreasonable demands? You can learn to deal with people who are driven by emotions rather than logic. Here are four things to keep in mind.

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Case study: How to push back on difficult demands

Dean’s boss is driving him up the wall. Although Dean’s workload is already massive, Cass has handed him yet another ‘urgent’ report to do. How can Dean convince his boss that her demands are unreasonable?

There’s only one thing for it – Dean needs to be assertive. He needs tell his boss there’s an issue so she can understand his position. Here’s how we’d help Dean deal with this problem. You can use the same strategies to negotiate priorities with your boss.

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Case study: How to handle gossip

Although Elaine likes her new job, her coworkers tend to gossip. Elaine frequently feels uncomfortable, but doesn’t know whether to speak up or keep quiet.

People talk about others. But when talk becomes negative or personal it moves from conversation to gossip. As Elaine’s uncomfortable with what’s being said, there’s a good chance the topic of conversation won’t like it either. Here’s how we’d help Elaine deal with this problem. You can use the same strategies to tackle gossip in your workplace.

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Case study: Overcoming stage fright

A team of volunteers is presenting training on parenting skills. The scripts they have been issued with for this training are dull and uninspiring. The volunteers are nervous about speaking in public. Hedley Galt inspires the group to spice up their performance and feel confident doing so.

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Case study: Developing political skills

A team of scientists wants to motivate and inspire staff who are embarking on careers in health research. Challenges include developing political awareness and promoting a reflective approach to career development. Eleanor Shakiba presents modules on Conflict Resolution and Personality Types Working Together.

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Case study: Assessing team dynamics

 If you want better results with people, spending time building rapport can reap great results. Take Craig, for example. He was a freelance IT consultant who wanted help in getting on with his clients. Craig had difficulty managing his clients’ expectations. For example, he was frequently irritated by clients who ‘couldn’t’ describe what they wanted. What he wasn’t acknowledging was that people who could outline their needs accurately probably wouldn’t need his services in the first place!

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Case study: Making positive change

Sean was preparing to announce the relocation of the company’s head office. Some staff might react badly to this change. How could he get everyone onside? Sean needed to prepare his presentation very carefully. I helped him use NLP framing techniques to build a positive message. You can use the same techniques whenever you need to announce a change or introduce challenging news.

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