Managing Difficult and Demanding Customer Situations

The content will be specific to each individual or group attending and their particular requirements but may include elements of the following:

	Identifying causes of ‘difficult’ – what makes customers and us difficult
	The seven phases of change and their impact on the nervous system
	Understanding and applying the ‘human function curve’ to identify and assess individual behaviour
	Understanding how stress manifests in individuals
	Techniques for dealing with individuals suffering from stress
	Understanding behavioural types – Passive/Assertive/Aggressive
	Understanding and dealing with anger
	Effective use of appropriate communication styles
	Understanding and using gestures
	Reducing resistance and eliminating conflict
	Preparation of the environment - consider privacy, facilities, literature, documentation
	Dealing positively with difficult situations
	How to confront people in a way that minimises defensiveness and hostility
	Handling verbal aggression and ‘put downs’
	Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to take the tension out of a difficult situation
	Mediation – knowing when a third party is useful
	Anticipating emerging conflict and preventing it from escalating
	Specific ways to deal with manipulative tactics – blame, sarcasm, threats, lies, etc.
	Managing your own responses – fear, anger, frustration and anxiety in a conflict situation
	Preserving personal safety and welfare
	Maintaining customer confidentiality

Personal and Organisational Learning Outcomes

	Appropriate use of communication behaviour and styles
	Use of a variety of techniques for dealing with difficult situations
	Understand what causes ‘difficult‘
	Improved confidence, management of personal responses and the ability to communicate assertively
	Manage interactions with others more effectively
	Enjoy personal safety and comfort in the work environment
	Know when and how to deal with unacceptable behaviour and difficult types of customer
	Ability to manage extremes and know when to enlist the support of a third party
	Creating and maintaining a professional image
	Anticipating potentially difficult situations and prevent them from arising