Mark has been successfully dealing with difficult people, and helping others deal with them, for over 35 years. As an employee he managed difficult clients, members of the public, staff and co-workers, and conducted many in-house workshops and coaching programs to help develop the skills of others. As the principal of Mark McPherson Consulting and, more recently, of Tough Conversations Made Easy, Mark has helped those at all levels of management and those on the front line handle difficult people and do so honourably. He has, for example, helped:
Local government across NSW: A series of programs on how to deal with difficult members of the public;
Housing NSW: A series of programs on how to deal with difficult clients and customers;
Individuals: one-on-one coaching;
Staff of Federal Members of Parliament and Senators: A series of introductory and advanced 2-day workshops, delivered across Australia, on dealing with members of the public who are difficult to communicate with, angry and rude, abusive and threatening;
NSW TAFE: Assertiveness training programs across NSW;
NSW Health: How to handle angry clients;
NSW Police: How to negotiate with drunk, disorderly and disruptive patrons; and
Centre for Community Welfare Training: ‘Being on the front-line – how to handle difficult people.’
A few examples in a bit more detail
1. For Police
How to handle people who are rude, abusive or drunk
While the Manager and Principal Policy Adviser, Drug Programs Coordination Unit, NSW Police, Mark was involved in the design and delivery of many education programs. For example, Mark designed, gained University accreditation for and helped deliver a 7-day residential course for police – The Management of Alcohol Related Crime. The course was delivered 12 times and included pre-course work, group work, individual assignments, and post-course work. Issues covered included:
Legislation;
Techniques for gathering intelligence and interpreting evidence;
Producing briefs and court and legal procedures;
Working and partnering with other agencies;
Strategies for reducing and preventing alcohol-related crime; and
Effective strategies for handling difficult people, in particular those who are intoxicated, in licensed premises, in public places and on private property; and
Practical activities to help police develop personal communications strategies and skills to manage difficult people and people who are intoxicated – with alcohol or other drugs.
2. For staff of the Department of Housing
How to deal with difficult clients
Mark designed and delivered a series of tailor-made one-day workshops for front-line staff of the Department of Housing on how to deal with difficult clients – in the office, on the front desk, on the street and in houses. Topics included:
What makes a difficult person ‘difficult’ and why are they like that?
‘Communication wreckers’ and how to avoid them;
The Big Principles for Dealing with Difficult People;
How to take control – of the situation and of yourself;
The art of the planned interaction – you, the issue and the environment;
Stress reduction and debriefing; and
The development of a repertoire of personalised, realistic and acceptable strategies to turn good ideas into real-world competency.
3. For staff of Federal Members of Parliament and Senators
How to communicate with the public, deal with difficult people and deliver great customer service.
Mark designed and delivered a series of two-day introductory programs and a two-day advanced programs across Australia. He tailored his workshops to individual workplaces. The aim was to help staff gain the strategies and skills they needed to appropriately communicate with the public, representatives of business and representatives of government departments, and, in particular, with difficult people.
4. For teachers
How to manage difficult staff and colleagues and produce a respectful and harmonious workplace
Teachers, like the rest of the working population, have to deal with difficult people and people who just seem to ’cause trouble’. Mark’s presentations are entertaining, informative and inspiring. More importantly, he leaves teachers with a set of principles, formulas, strategies and skills they can immediately use.
Teachers are also expected to create a respectful and harmonious workplace. But how do they do that? Mark’s facilitation style means that teachers create workable strategies and solutions to turn good mission statements into practical down-to-earth reality.
Mark knows what it’s like to be a teacher and be expected to do all the extra things that weren’t a part of teacher training courses. Mark has worked with schools, by delivering workshops, presentations and one-on-one coaching sessions, to help teachers – at all levels – deal with difficult people, create effective teams and produce a respectful and harmonious workplace. Sydney Distance Education High School is just an example.