In our life times we will all have the unfortunate luck of having to deal with someone we consider to be "difficult." You may have been assigned to work on a school project with someone you might consider a bully. The situation could be more severe, you could be assigned an important marketing project for the company in which you work for and your partner could be someone the article I read labels a "staller." Whatever the situation you find yourself in, whether it is good or bad. It is in every ones best interest to learn how to deal with difficult people.
The article suggests some simple tips/guidelines to follow when you are forced to deal with persons of difficult temperament. It is necessary to identify the behavior type you are dealing with. There are five behavior types with whom most people are likely to have difficulty with, Bullies, Grippers, Silent Types, Just say No, and Stallers. For instance, taking the example from the beginning of the introduction - with the student being assigned to work on a project with the class bully. .
We"ll call the girl, Cynthia and the Bully Bill. First, Cynthia must identify the characteristics of the difficult behavior she is dealing with, in this case a Bully.
According to the article, Bullies are identified as angry and hostile, and often through temper tantrums to get their way. Cynthia gathering this information knows that it is best to "stand up to them" as our parents have always thought us. I"ll also take into account that Cynthia has friends, for recently mentioned in class, is that children with friends are less likely to be bullied. When the children get together to work on the project, Cynthia thinks it best for them to meet at her house, since in my opinion a bully is less likely to act out in the presence of her parents (authority figures.) When Bill arrives and they start to think of ideas for the project it is best for Cynthia to listen to Bill's ideas with her full attention, but if she disagrees with a point, she should stand up for herself firmly, and use phrases such as "I believe" or "I feel.
