How to Deal with Difficult People in the Design Industry

In your workplace, there are could be times that you feel so piqued with someone that you sometimes wish for that person to get lost from your sight for he or she distracts your work. There could be people whom you couldn’t get along with because you have different ideas and beliefs. Due to this, they might not cooperate with some work which irritates you for it causes delays for a project.

You really cannot do away with difficult people that sometimes even if it affects your work performance. To do away with that, here are some tips on how to deal with difficult people.

1. Know yourself.

It is important to know yourself so that you could determine your strengths and weaknesses. This way, you can easily do away with situations wherein you might flare up. You will also be humble and it would be easier to deal with people who might make things quite hard for you.

2. Communicate well to avoid misunderstanding.

It is easier to deal with difficult people if you could communicate well and explain your side better. You should also know the kind of tone to use in order not to start an argument. In talking to that person, choose the right words so that he could understand you.

3. Learn to determine upcoming problems.

When you have been in a situation once, you would definitely know that the same would happen again. Through this, you already know when it is going to happen and you can prepare for it. It would be easier for you to deal with these situations. Other than that, be able to know also if certain differences are occurring so that you could just walk away from it.

4. Choose your battles.

Not all battles are worth your time. Hence, you should know which one you could entertain and which one you couldn’t. Be sure that when you talk with someone who is difficult to deal with, you won’t spend a lot of time that you have squandered time for work already.

5. Respect each other.

Remember that respect begets respect. One of the secrets in dealing with negative people is by showing respect to them even if they do not treat you that way. Learn to honor and respect each other’s differences. No two people can be totally alike. We have to recognize the fact that we are all different from each other.

6. Know these people and determine how you can help.

Since you already know yourself, you have to know those people whom you couldn’t get easily along with. Try to know why they have that kind of attitude and put yourself on their shoes. This way, you could determine ways on how to talk to them and approach them. You may also ask how you can change the situation. You might be able to help them find solutions to their problems.

7. Do not be defensive and accept mistakes.

You are not always right in a situation. So if you encounter someone who blames you on something and you are aware that you really did it, accept it and apologize. Instead of defending yourself for something which you have actually done wrongly, make the situation better by being humble. Simply explain your side but do not be too defensive that it would cause a heater argument.

8. Smile and be calm.

To tone down the situation, smile to the person instead of shouting at him. It may look insulting for some but if you do this, you will also help yourself to stay calm. As you smile, make your tone sound calm, too so that the person you are talking to will know that you have a good intention. If you stay calm no matter what they are doing to you, they will also calm down.

9. Know and understand the person’s intentions.

Know the reason behind someone’s act. Try to know where everything is coming from. Knowing this will make things a lot easier for you to solve the problem. If the person is not cooperating with your work, try to know why. Do not hesitate to talk to that person so you can set things straight.

10. Forgive and forget.

Many people hang on to grudges even if it happened a long time ago. Let go of grudges so that you can free yourself and you’ll feel a lot better. It would be hard to build good friendship and relationship with that person if you cannot erase those scars in your hearts. You should learn to forgive and forget so you can move on.

11. Build good working relationship.

To avoid difficult situations, you need to build rapport. Be good in dealing with other people by being friendly, helpful and understanding. If you do this, you could easily foster good communication and understanding with them. This will make you workplace a lot happier. Your outputs will even be better. Get to know everyone at work and always bear that smile on your face.

12. Have fun sometimes.

The reason why you face difficult situations with someone could be stress and overwork. So, to bring out a positive aura, go out with your workmates. Have fun even by a mere laugh during snacks and lunch breaks. You can also do some team building activities. While having fun, you can also get to know your workmates.

A difficult situation won’t be difficult at all if you know how to handle it. It actually depends on how you look at things and how you deal with it. The real secret in dealing with difficult people is to have self-control and to have a positive perspective in life.