10 Tips by Renowned Corporate Trainer, LeAnn Thieman
Whether it is a person who crowds in front of the line, the busy doctor who answers too curtly, or the driver’s license clerk who berates you for letting your license expire, some people can worsen your already-stressful day if you let them. As caregivers, we interact with a huge variety of people. Most of them are supportive and compassionate. Yet sometimes, too often on our toughest days, we encounter people who are downright mean!
As an experienced caregiver, keynote speaker, and corporate trainer, I’m all too familiar with this myself. Fortunately, I’ve been able to put together a list of 10 tips that help me manage the bah-humbuggers. Maybe these tips can help you too.
- Evaluate the situation carefully. Are they mean? Or is it possible your stressful circumstances have you looking at the world through not-so-rosy glasses? Is your current mental state possibly making you less tolerant and affecting how you perceive others?
- Strive to diffuse the anger or negative attitude; do not escalate it. Ignore the offense; don’t acknowledge it.
- Smile and look them in the eyes. That throws them off guard. It’s hard to be grumpy when someone is smiling at you!
- Extend your hand to shake theirs. Touch is a great tranquilizer.
- Give them the benefit of the doubt, but don’t be afraid to express your feelings. “Mary, I know you didn’t mean to say that in a way that made me feel…”
- Get them to say “yes” three times. Answering questions with a positive response makes it difficult to stay negative. “Is this the place where I can find help to…”
- Sometimes people are mean because they’ve had a tough day or others have been mean to them. Break the cycle. Find something positive to say. Acknowledge the difficulty they may have had. “It must be hard to do so many things at once, and yet you seem to manage it all.”
- Ask their name and use it often, then kindly ask for what you need. “Steve, I know you can help me, and I am so grateful. Can you please…”
- Instead of using blameful language, use “I” statements. “When you treat me that way, I feel…” Avoid “you” statements. “You did this or that…”
- If the above techniques are not effective, firmly say, “This is inappropriate. To whom shall I speak to register a complaint?”
My mama always said, “You catch more bees with honey than vinegar.” When you diffuse anger and offer kindness everybody wins, especially you. You didn’t let them spoil your day.
At SelfCare for HealthCare, founded by me, LeAnn Thieman, we’re here to help healthcare organizations boost employee satisfaction and create healthy, fulfilling work environments. Our proven results not only improve nurse and caregiver retention rates, but also improve patient outcomes as a whole. Contact us today to learn what we can do for your organization.
