The statistics are clear – If you spend time doing presentations and chairing meetings, sooner or later you will get into a situation where you will have to deal with an unpleasant person. He is not always a client or a dissatisfied business partner. Sometimes the troublemaker appears among your colleagues, superiors or subordinates. The relationship you have with the problematic person partially defines what strategy you should chose to solve the situation. The following are several general rules, according to the Salesopedia server, which may be used in dealing with unpleasant people or problem causers.
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Do not get angry. By getting angry, you only give your opponent a reason to keep behaving provocatively. The troublemaker than gets what he wanted, to start an argument.
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Do not ignore problematic behavior. It is too easy to pretend that you do not hear anything and to ignore the comments. But, if someone is behaving like a bore, you need to let him know and ask him to stop.
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Set the limits. Let the troublemaker know when he has crossed the line. By doing so, you let him know where the limits are and that he must step back in line. In case of further interference on his part, either you should leave or you should demand that the troublemaker leaves.
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Do no tolerate interruptions If you are talking and someone keeps interrupting you, tell them that there will time for comments and questions when you are finished. If someone still keeps interrupting you, tell them to be quiet, or show them the door.
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Do not get dragged into an argument. Some people just love to argue. They often achieve that by systematically criticizing your ideas or constantly having a different opinion. Do not let yourself to be dragged into a tedious argument if it is not constructive and will lead nowhere.
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Practice your skills. To deal with troublemakers, it is necessary to always stay cool. Do not let the troublemaker silence you, but always try to control the situation and so you can regain harmony.
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