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Dealing with Aggressive Individuals

In everyday life, we often come across people that are less than friendly; the same goes for business dealings. Many people are difficult to deal with but often we must hold our tongue and learn to deal with it because they may be important to your business. As well as this, it is vital to be able to learn how to rise above hostile behaviour and act mature and professional.

Often it is clear if a person is angry or irritated before they even open their mouth because we can tell by their body language or facial expression. So try to notice this and acknowledge it before launching into a discussion. Communication and assertiveness training shows us that an angry person needs to have their feelings acknowledged in order to begin constructive interaction. So remember to address their anger with empathic statements and listening before moving on to whatever issues need to be discussed.

If the person you are dealing with becomes overly hostile, you must speak up for yourself. Make your statement and then refocus the conversation back to the issue- don’t dwell on this person’s poor communication any more than is necessary. Be assertive, but never aggressive.  Aggressive individuals look for people they can control, so when dealing with such people it is important that you send the message that their behaviour is not going to work on you, that you are not somebody to be bullied. Once they realise this they will find some other poor victim. Ideally, everyone should be able to stand up for themselves; personal development courses training can help people learn how to do this.

Self-control of your behaviour is critical, of course you are entitled to be angry, but the way you express that anger is key. Don’t respond to hostile comments immediately because your gut response is likely to be angry too. Take a breath and think about what you’re going to say in order to create less anger and upset on both sides. Also pay attention to the speed and volume of your voice, as conversations speed up there is less constructive thought and a higher chance that people will say things that are damaging.

If the hostile person you are communicating with slips in some scathing personal comment; don’t take the bait. By responding emotionally to such remarks you are giving up control of the conversation. In most cases the ‘bait’ has little to do with what is being discussed and is best ignored. It is important to your personal development training that you learn how to deal with aggressive people and how to respond accordingly, it shows good business sense, maturity and ultimately your company will improve from your actions

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