Workshop for staff, middle leaders and senior leaders
Dealing with Difficult People
Learn how to stay calm, understand challenging behaviour and respond effectively when interactions become difficult
In brief
Workshop overview
Most school staff encounter people whose behaviour they find challenging. It might be an angry parent or a colleague who becomes defensive or confrontational when challenged.
Dealing with Difficult People is a practical, evidence-informed workshop that helps participants understand what drives challenging behaviour and develop the skills to respond calmly, confidently and constructively.
Participants learn how to regulate their own emotional response, de-escalate difficult interactions, listen for what may be happening beneath the behaviour, establish clear boundaries and recognise when to continue a conversation — and when it is better to pause and return to it later.
About this workshop
Summary
This workshop explores the psychology behind challenging behaviour and provides participants with a practical framework for managing difficult interactions.
What You Will Gain
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An understanding of what can lie beneath challenging behaviour and how feelings of threat, anxiety, humiliation, unfairness or insecurity can influence the way people respond.
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Greater awareness of what you bring to difficult interactions, including your expectations, assumptions, previous experiences and emotional triggers.
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Practical techniques for regulating your own emotional response when an interaction becomes stressful.
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An understanding of co-regulation and how your voice, pace, body language and presence can influence the emotional climate of an interaction.
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Active listening skills including reflective listening, clarifying questions, empathy and minimal encouragers.
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Practical approaches for de-escalating difficult interactions and setting clear boundaries.
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A practical language bank for responding when conversations become emotional, confrontational or go off track.
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A reflection tool for closing the loop after a difficult interaction, reducing unhelpful rumination and identifying any necessary follow-up.
Who Is This For?
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Senior leaders
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Middle leaders
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Team and department leaders
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Pastoral leaders
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Teachers and support staff
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Administration and operations staff
Regulate. Listen. Understand. Set boundaries. Respond.
Because you cannot always control how someone else behaves — but you can learn to control how you respond.
Interested?
Bring this workshop to your school
Helen works with schools to tailor each workshop to your context. The best starting point is a short, no-obligation conversation.