 Everyone has to deal with difficult persons and situations  Be honest about your own capabilities and how you react to difficulties and stress  Be committed to your actions & ready to change plans if necessary – this means having an open mind  Commit to solving problems and if unable to, find the key people who can solve those issues  So you need to develop your resources to back you up

 Always have a plan, this means being prepared  A good plan comes from continual review of incidents – always review what has happened and how you and your team performed  Identify your top 10 difficult situations – where they occur, who is involved and why they happen.  Then build your planning around your identified issues and risks  Then document your plan and provide the plan to all of your team for feedback and improvement

 Managing difficult persons is stressful  Putting these stressful events into context is important – How can we do this?  These events are another workplace challenge  Don’t make this type of event personal  If you are stressed, ask for assistance  Note – managers are to note stress ‘hotspots’ in the workplace and monitor these locations  It is important to cope well because managing difficult persons is becoming more common  Remember that you cope better with stress when you are confident and happy

 Good breathing can help us when we are under stress  Remember to BREATHE – This is a Key word  Gets oxygen to your brain  Use this technique whenever you feel uncomfortable  Use breathing to de-stress after an incident or when you feel nervous

 There are two options when dealing with Difficult Persons 1. begin to negotiate 2. take action when negotiation has stalled or failed  When to switch to Action ?  Minimum - After two solid attempts to negotiate/can be further attempts  This process reduces time spent in a high risk or stressful environment/reduces staff anxiety

 Is the situation safe? – if not consider partial evacuation  Do you need assistance?  Do you have sufficient information to make decisions?  Can the situation be solved  After negotiation, is further action required  Are you using approved methods and procedures  Remain calm and be systematic  Make good/safe decisions  Solve the issues/know what to do  Review, document and plan to improve your team’s performance

1.Be prepared 2.Know the approved procedural rules 3.Understand how your team and other co-workers will function during the incident 4.First negotiate, then take decisive action 5.Be aware that a difficult person could easily become a violent Code Grey/Black incident 6.Be professional and systematic in your decision making, taking risks into account 7.Take decisive and approved action 8.Always review performance and feed the results into you action plan for the future 9.QUESTIONS ?