Dealing with Difficult Behaviours - Melbourne

Dealing with Difficult Behaviours - Melbourne

You know that moment when you're in a meeting and Jim from accounting starts his usual rant about why everything's wrong with the company? Or when Sarah keeps interrupting everyone and making sarcastic comments? We've all been there. You're sitting there thinking "someone needs to deal with this" while everyone else stares at their laptops, hoping it'll just stop.

Here's the thing - difficult behaviour at work isn't going away. In fact, it's getting worse. Remote work, stress, change fatigue, and plain old personality clashes are creating more workplace tension than ever. You can't avoid these people, and HR can't magically make them disappear. So you need practical skills to handle them without losing your mind, your professionalism, or your job.

This isn't about becoming a workplace therapist or trying to "fix" people. It's about protecting your own sanity while getting things done. You'll learn how to recognise the difference between someone having a bad day and someone who's genuinely disruptive. We'll cover the classic types - the chronic complainer, the credit-stealer, the passive-aggressive note-leaver, the meeting hijacker. More importantly, you'll practice specific techniques that actually work in real situations.

The best part? You don't need to be naturally assertive or have years of management experience. These are learnable skills that work whether you're dealing with a difficult colleague, a challenging customer, or even your own boss when they're being unreasonable. We'll role-play realistic scenarios so you can practice before you're back in the thick of it.

What You'll Learn

How to stay calm and professional when someone's pushing your buttons (without fake-smiling your way through it). Specific phrases and responses that shut down difficult behaviour without escalating the situation. When to involve others and when to handle it yourself. How to document incidents properly so you're covered if things escalate. Techniques for dealing with difficult conversations that need to happen but everyone's been avoiding. Ways to protect your own mental health and energy when working with challenging people.

You'll also learn how to recognise your own triggers and response patterns. Sometimes we make difficult situations worse without realising it. We'll help you spot when you're contributing to the problem and give you better alternatives.

The Bottom Line

After this training, you won't dread dealing with difficult people anymore. You'll have a toolkit of responses that work, confidence to address issues early before they become bigger problems, and the skills to maintain your professionalism even when others aren't maintaining theirs. Most importantly, you'll stop taking other people's behaviour personally and start seeing it for what it usually is - their issue, not yours.

This isn't about changing difficult people (good luck with that). It's about changing how you respond to them so you can get on with your work without the drama. Your stress levels will thank you, your colleagues will notice, and you'll actually look forward to solving these workplace challenges instead of avoiding them.

Location: Melbourne
Available formats: In-person, virtual, or hybrid delivery

Ready to stop letting difficult people derail your workday? Learn practical skills for dealing with difficult behaviours that you can use immediately.