SD-101. Managing Your Anger with Difficult People
Skills and Strategies for Creatively Resolving Conflict
This 1-day group workshop is designed to help participants realize that anger can be constructive or destructive, depending on a person's awareness of feelings as well as their motivation and skills for expressing anger. In particular, this course will help participants deal with power struggles and interpersonal conflicts: a) amongst the employees, b) between employees and supervisors and c) amongst your management staff.
OBJECTIVES:
Using thought-provoking and lively presentation as well as the experience of group members, participants will:
(1) Learn the four faces of anger,
(2) Role play self-defeating expectations and critical feedback situations,
(3) Engage in "power struggle" exercises and analysis,
(4) Replace blaming "you" messages with assertive and constructive "I" messages and
(5) Resolve creatively conflict and achieve meaningful and empowering consensus
OUTLINE:
I. Overcoming obstacles to constructive management of anger and difficult people through:
A. Identification of problematic working relationships
B. Recognition of your "hot buttons" and unrealistic or rigid expectations
C. A better understanding of the powerful dynamics in authority relationships
II. Tools and techniques for managing anger and difficult people:
A. The constructive and destructive aspects of "The Four Faces of Anger"
B. Role playing giving and receiving constructive feedback
C. Replace blaming "You" messages with assertive "I" messages
III. Developing a new approach to anger and conflict:
A. Defusing escalating anger through centering, boundaries and humor
B. Positively reframing conflict, value contradiction and power struggles
C. Transforming conflict into cooperation, consensus and creative problem solving
EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
I. Participants will learn to express anger in a thoughtful and focused manner through awareness of verbal and nonverbal communication techniques
II. Participants will learn to let go of hurt pride and self-defeating expectations in response to critical feedback.
III. Participants will understand how past relationships with authority figures (for example parents or an older sibling) affect current relations with colleagues, supervisors and managers.
IV. Employees will be able to relate more effectively in the here and now. and resolve conflicts flexibly and playfully