Dealing with Difficult People

Part 2

Don’t deal with a team member’s problem behavior by engaging in problem behavior yourself.

Stay calm. DON’T tell them to “calm down”—that usually does not get a good response.

If someone is yelling, intentionally take your voice down in volume and speak slowly, ideally while making eye contact with them. Keep the energy in your voice, even if you are using a “stage whisper.” Think “quiet strength.” It sends the “use your INSIDE voice” message through your social behavior, and often it makes the person recognize that they look out-of-control to other people, and they will start to more closely match your decibel level.

(research source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/art-dealing-difficult-people-5-tried-and-true-j-andy-newsom/) (image generated using Midjourney)