As a manager, you must have had many meetings with your staff, or with external business partners and others. There must have been instances when you have been terribly frustrated because your meeting was disrupted and all your attempts at reconciliation thwarted by an intimidating personality, an uncooperative person, or someone who was constantly negating what you said. However difficult the scenario may be, it is wise on your part not to take such behaviour personally. Instead, by identifying the personality types that can derail negotiations, and by handling such people in a clear, candid manner backed by proper techniques, you will be able to bring your meetings to their logical conclusions and to seal the deal.

To stop your planned meetings from going awry, and to effectively diffuse hostile discussions, you could try certain measures to resolve situations involving difficult and/or disruptive people.

The Antagonistic Type

This personality type is always hostile and comes across as intimidating. He believes that he is always right, and will verbally shut you down if you contradict his point of view. With this personality type, it is wise to draw your line firmly. Let him vent but do not allow him to become abusive. Once he has blown off steam, state your position firmly and leave no room for arguments, as you cannot “win” an argument with him. Always address him by name, and do not let go of your control at any time.

The Egotistical Type

These people are the know-it-alls. They know, or pretend to know, everything pertaining to the situation at hand. To keep in control of the situation when dealing with such people, it is essential that you know the facts and figures very well. These people are very proud of their knowledge. You should praise them so that they share their knowledge, which you can then use strategically.

The Sniping Type

This personality type tries to undermine your authority by making sarcastic remarks about the way you are handling things. She does not have the confidence to rage a full-blown war against you, but prefers taking potshots. The best way to handle such a personality type is to make her focus on the issues at hand, and to make her understand that you will not put up with her sniping. There is a good chance that she will stop when she gets this message from you, because she will want to avoid a direct confrontation with you.

The Whining Type

These people are forever whining and have a defeatist attitude. They tend to feel unimportant and resort to whining to gain attention. The best way to deal with such people is to listen to them and dismiss their fears logically. It is always wise to point out the positives to them rather than negatives. Another tip is to turn to the rest of the group for an answer when a whiner asks a negative question.

The Negative Type

These people have a naturally negative frame of mind. They also mistrust anyone in power. Negative minds can see no solution in any strategy. Stay in a positive frame of mind when dealing with such people. Do not argue with them, but keep to the facts, and discuss the facts and the solutions with emphatic logic that is hard to contradict.

The Manipulative Type

These people are the most difficult to handle. They don’t make known their real motives, and you try to guess what game they are playing. Rather than getting into a guessing game, it is imperative to get them to participate, so that they can put aside their own agendas and work with the team and for the team.

To have a meeting with little disruption, or to engage in a successful mediation, it would be wise to take note of the difficult personality types that you may interact with, and to understand the techniques that you should use in dealing with them.

To learn conflict resolution skills that you can use at work and in your personal life, please visit our Alternative Dispute Resolution Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.

To improve your negotiation skills and get the results you want while negotiating, please visit our Become a Powerful Negotiator Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.

To gain skills to handle difficult conversations and difficult people with confidence, please visit our Dealing With Difficult People Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.