Conflict Resolution

Demanding, difficult and deviant persons - Preventing and managing high-risk behavior in the workplace

Essential to the work of various professionals are effective communication skills and the ability to assess and deal with difficult behavior effectively. We are sometimes confronted with negative and unwanted behavior of employees or customers and lack of confidence and skills to approach the situation in a way that safely enhances cooperation. Developing such professional skills will greatly benefit the company and limit unnecessary costs, reputational damage and physical or emotional harm of personnel.

The goal of this in-depth professional training is to translate the practical experience and academic findings into a fact-based and strategic plan, aiming at a situation in which the identified risks are under control.

We strongly suggest a pre-training questionnaire that helps us to measure the skill level of the participants. The questionnaire covers the typical terms and concepts of the participants and also gathers case-examples that can be used in the training (with the approval of the client).

The workshops cover the most typical aspects of problematic behavior. The goal is to lay a foundation for the participants to have a deeper and broader perspective related to extreme forms of difficult deviant behaviors. Often professionals lack structured mechanisms to understand and manage behavior that is intentional and destructive for the organization. This knowledge base will help the participants to identify various problematic behaviors at an early stage and also to prepare themselves for possible further negative developments. The training will help professionals label and also manage the behavior that creates problems and confusion within the organization.

The workshop is designed to build the skill-set of the participants to professionally deal with people who might respond defensively and is highly accusatory. The program covers variety emotional responses for both the professional as well for the person who is the cause of concern.

The purpose and goal of the training is to reflect a positive image of client's professional conflict resolution and negotiation skills, protect the company and not jeopardize it in terms of liability by saying or doing the wrong thing or giving wrong information, enhance the preventive skills to confront difficult behavioral problems and de-escalate conflicts that might take place over an internal or external conversation and also to decrease stress levels for the employees.

Verbal skills will enhance management skills in a way that in incidents people feel they are being treated fairly and with dignity. The training will improve personnel's performance in conflict related incidents in a way that their communication and behavior will prevent further conflicts. The training will enhance personnel's confidence in taking control and improving the situation. Proper conflict management tactics will also help to protect the corporate image.

Training topics cover verbal de-escalation, conflict resolution and creation of voluntary compliance.

Impulsive and targeted acts of aggression

Aggressive behavior can be divided into two very different types of behavioral models. Understanding these both forms will greatly help the professionals to develop suitable strategies in dealing with these behaviors. Workplace bullying, sexual harassment and stalking-like behavior often falls under the concept of targeted aka. predatory aggression. This behavior is planned, purposeful and emotionless. The other concept is impulsive aka. affective aggression. This behavior is the opposite of predatory aggression. Impulsive aggression is commonly reactive, immediate and often the goal is threat reduction. With both aggression styles the management strategies are very different. Understanding the motivation behind the aggression will help the professional successfully deal with the behavior.

Successful conflict resolution

What are the traits of a true conflict management professional? What can we learn from police negotiators? When flexibility is the key, how not to be too flexible? Win-win as goal, how to reach it? Saving the other persons face and solution based approach. Emotional and logical end solutions to a conflict. Who is the best person to handle the situation, how to pick the Most Valuable Player (MVP)? Main- back-up and emergency plans for confrontations. The use of “time-out” as tactical procedure.

Verbal De-escalations

This section of the training will equip the participants with a better knowledge related to communication skills in highly emotional conflicts. We will cover the reasons and motives for people to get upset and how to create voluntary compliance with defensive individuals. We will cover active listening skills as well as the role of empathy and assertiveness. During the training we will go through a five step de-escalation process that helps in most emotional and volatile conflicts.