You don’t have to put up with verbal abuse. Whether it happens at work or at home, there is something you can do about it. Here are four steps to take when you’re the target of verbal abuse.
Passive aggression is way of covertly expressing anger. It involves using incongruent words, tones and body language to convey contempt. For example, someone might say the words “I don’t have a problem.” The meaning of these words might be totally undermined by the speaker’s voice-tone. This is a passive aggressive way of raising a problem.
You need to convince others to change their beliefs or actions. Here are three ways to build an argument which will do this.
Set strong foundations
Persuasive arguments are robustly constructed. You wouldn’t build a house without deep foundations. Nor should you build a case without depth of knowledge. To persuade effectively, you need to do your research. Talk to experts. Read academic articles. Find real examples related to your topic area. Depth of research creates depth of argument.
Kym had made an informal complaint about Antony ‘bullying’ her. Now Michael, their supervisor, had to sort out the situation. Michael had done the right thing by taking Kym’s complaint seriously. But he wasn’t quite sure what to do next. He called me for advice. Here’s what I explained about taking on a mediation role when you’re a manager.
Stella seemed unable to accept any form of feedback without becoming defensive. No matter how Kath worded her message, it triggered tirades and tears. Feeling at a loss about what to do next, Kath came to my course on Dealing with Difficult People.
Terence was furious. He’d just received another abrupt, demanding email from his colleague, Tamara. He was fed up with her tone.
Terence came to me for advice on how to handle Tamara. Over three coaching sessions, he learned how to manage her behaviour professionally and assertively. Here are the steps Terence used to request that Tamara change her ways. You can use the same steps to handle colleagues who send rude emails.
Kiera refused to acknowledge her own part in the conflict. In desperation, Annette enrolled in my course on Dealing with Difficult People. During a break, I talked to Annette about how to set boundaries and limits on poor behaviour in the team. You might find these tips useful, too.
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.
If conflict is causing chaos in your team, mediation may be the solution.
Workplace conflict affects performance and can have devastating effects on morale. Mediation – a discussion between people in conflict which is facilitated by an independent person – is often valuable in resolving issues. Here’s how to make mediation work for you at work.
Irrational behaviour can be confusing or annoying. But with a bit of know-how you can handle it professionally. Here are some steps mental health professionals use to manage people who aren’t thinking straight. You can use them, too, when dealing with irrational people.
Fortnightly tips and videos to inspire Difference Makers and Future Shapers as their efforts change the world.