How do we deal with any of the difficult people in our daily lives?

We can’t escape them, right? They might even be us, hiding in the mirror.

On Thursday, January 26th, 2023, Cosmotech Toastmasters presented Barbara Khozam, AS, CSP and CPXP on the Topic of How to Deal with Difficult People/Customers/Patients.

(Certified Speaking Professional™), Accredited Speaker designation from Toastmasters  - in gray - not sure to add or not add

Barbara is funny. She indulges in a touch of self deprecation to relax her audience. She knows how to use humor to disarm her audience and draw them into her circle before and during her lesson. She is a master of humor which helps us remember the details.

The idea, that she condensed into an amazing direct and applicable 30 minute presentation, is that we can avoid difficult people and in fact in some circumstances need to; however, in many cases, we should embrace the situation and change it for the better by not avoiding conflict. It starts with us.

There is an underlying assumption to use wisdom and common sense in any given scenario.

She asked us to think about who we know and showed us how to evaluate each one of those “difficult” people on a scale.

Some of the information may have been new or a review but either way she reminded us to control our emotions and think before we communicate. Wise advice in any given situation.

A smile and a pleasant tone and response can go a long way to soften a difficult person and she stressed that change starts with us.

She stated the facts simply. She presented a process that never once felt complicated, so it was easy to understand.

I can’t give away her secrets but would encourage you to check out her website and her videos at https://barbarakhozam.com/

We did our Table Topics, our quick speech section of the meeting. It was led by our longest running member, Enrico, who shared how Toastmasters helped him in his journey and how table topics helps in many areas of life including a job interview that he went through recently.

Two other Cosmotech members, Darrell and Andy, gave speeches about how Toastmasters changed their lives. Both had such great presence and tone that the audience was drawn into their experience with inspiration and admiration. Our non Toastmasters guest heard about all the benefits that Toastmasters can bring to anyone.

All in all, the meeting went smoothly. We started on time and ended on time. We had a good time.

We hope you will reach out to us and plan to visit us and maybe even join our club.