Difficult people are (unfortunately) everywhere. Some are incredibly difficult to reason with. The situation proves highly frustrating, (as some of you may have found out the hard way), that you can’t reason with an unreasonable person. We’re certainly no strangers to these ‘quirky’ characters so we feel like we’re highly equipped to advise on the matter.

To deal with difficult people effectively, you need an approach that enables you to establish control over what you can control, (aka setting boundaries)  and eliminate what you can’t. The important thing to remember is that you are in control of what you will and won’t tolerate.

There are many proven techniques to manage confrontations with difficult people, so we’ve outlined a few templates you can apply to your own circumstances:

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Template 1 | Dealing With Verbal Attacks

Narcissists are notoriously difficult people to deal with. When toxic types can’t control how you perceive yourself, they’ll likely try to control how others see you. When a narcissist verbally attacks you you need to protect yourself. That’s why we wrote; When a Narcissist Verbally Attacks You, Say These 5 Things…

Click here to get the scripts.

Template 2 | When You Quit Your Job Because A Bad Manager

Life’s too short to suffer under someone else’s limited perceptions, bad management style, illegal practices or uncontrollable behavior. As a team we’ve all been there, so we’ve put together 3 Exceptional Resignation Letter Examples to Kiss Your Bullying Soon-to-be Ex-boss Goodbye which we’ve actually sent to our ex-managers.

Click here to get the letters.

Template 3 | When You Need to Set Boundaries with a Toxic Person

There are also some people out there who can only be described as toxic – people who seem to thrive on upsetting others, causing arguments, manipulating friends and family into taking sides, and generally causing emotional mayhem and unhappiness wherever they go. In Use These 3 Message Examples to Give the Toxic Person in Your Life a Reality Check (Without Having to Cut Them off Completely) we make some suggestions of how to send them a brief message to give them a little reality check on their behavior.

Click here to get the templates.

Template 4 | Dealing with Bullying in the Workplace

When things go wrong in an organization, it’s tempting to blame a particular individual or group as the cause. Often, out of fear that they will be blamed themselves, people will lash out at others and cast them as the scapegoat. Whether aimed at you individually or as part of a group, such behavior is hurtful and unproductive. That’s why we wrote We Think These 5 Email Templates Are the Best Response to Unfair Criticism and Scapegoating in the Workplace.

Click here to get the email templates.

Template 5 | When Someone Just Won’t Give You A Break

Coming under attack from another person is never a pleasant experience, and it can quickly lead us to feel defensive or upset. That’s why we’re offering 8 scripts to instantly take back control when you feel personally attacked.

Click here to get the scripts.

At Never the Right Word, our aim is to give you practical examples of how to handle life’s difficult conversations. If you have an awkward situation that you’d like example templates for, request a topic here.   

If you’re interested in further reading, we’ve also included links to our trusted resources and related posts below. To find out more about NTRW and our recommended tools, you can do that here.  

Lastly, if you found this content helpful or want to share your own examples, let us know in the comments. We’d also be delighted if you shared this article and joined us on social media too!

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