How to Work with Difficult Colleagues, Staff, and Patrons
Enhance your work life and relationships by learning how to approach difficult people and conversations with confidence.
Course Overview
Guest speaker sessions via Zoom:
Tuesdays, Mar. 12, 19, and 26, from 2:00-4:00 pm ET (recordings available)
Workshop:
Asynchronous, facilitator-led workshop over 3 weeks
Enhance your work life and relationships by learning how to approach difficult people and conversations with confidence.
How can library staff effectively deal with stressed out, disgruntled, or inappropriate patrons? And what happens when the person causing difficulty is a staff member or colleague? This course will teach you foundational strategies for engaging with difficult people at work, both internally with colleagues and externally with patrons. You will learn tenets of cultural humility regarding language, as well as de-escalation techniques and how to assess your own communication and conflict styles in order to bring self-awareness into all situations. This interactive, online course will provide you ample opportunities to role play and workshop real-life challenging scenarios with peer groups. You will leave this course with the practical skills and confidence to maintain calm during tense situations, adapt to challenges as they arise, and know when, if, and how to engage with difficult people at work.
The live sessions run on Tuesdays, March 12, 19, and 26, from 2:00-4:00 pm ET (recordings available) with an ongoing facilitator-led workshop over 3 weeks. Don’t miss this opportunity!
When you sign up early, you’ll have immediate access to our Early Access On Demand Resources—a series of webinars from Library Journal and School Library Journal contributors along with rich, supporting materials in the form of readings, activities, and videos—to explore at your own pace.
Who should take this course
This course is geared toward public-facing librarians and staff; however, all levels of librarians, including managers and directors, will benefit from learning how to work with difficult people.
Live sessions are also available on demand for six months
Can’t make a live session? All guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on demand for six months following the initial broadcast.
Certificate of completion provided
15 professional development credits are available
For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co
Accessibility
All guest speaker sessions feature live captioning and are made available on demand after the initial broadcast. Please email libraryjournal@edmaker.co upon registration if you require any special accommodations and we will make our best efforts to facilitate them.
Group Rates
Have a team attend and increase your impact!
Discounted registration fees are available for groups of 3 or more. When you register your team for our online courses, they will be placed in the same small workshop group, where discussions and project-based assignments receive feedback from an experienced librarian.
Send us a request for a quote.
If your group prefers to work separately, just let us know.
By registering for this event you confirm that you have read and agree to our Code of Conduct.
For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co.
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET
Understanding Antiracist Theories for Your Library
How can you stay prepared to address and de-escalate conflict? This opening session will dive into ways you can grow self-awareness and manage your own emotions as a first step to proactive conflict management. You'll also learn how communication and conflict styles, power dynamics, and cultural humility can impact difficult interactions.
Speaker:
|
To be announced |
|
Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET
An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course
Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET
Anticipating, Understanding, and Resolving Conflict
Where does conflict come from and how does it escalate? What are practical ways to resolve conflict? This session will discuss how to anticipate and de-escalate conflict, as well as practical methods for peaceful conflict resolution when dealing with difficult people.
Speaker:
|
To be announced |
|
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET
Preparing for and Embracing Difficult Conversations
Communication plays a huge role in working with difficult people. This session will focus on communication skills and specific phrases you can have at-the-ready when initiating and responding in difficult conversations. You will also learn three proven conflict resolution methods that will give you tips and tools to communicate with others directly, kindly, and confidently.
Speaker:
|
To be announced |
|
Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET
An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course
Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET
Balancing Customer Service and Difficult Patrons
How do you maintain excellent customer service while dealing with a stressed out or disgruntled patron? This session will focus on community and patron relationships and give you strategies to manage challenging interactions with the public.
Speaker:
|
To be announced |
|
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET
Working with Resistant Colleagues and Staff
How do you effectively work with resistant or challenging colleagues or staff members? This session will focus on internal work relationships and teach you practical ways to give and receive difficult feedback and overcome or prevent grievances at work.
Speaker:
|
To be announced |
|
Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET
An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course
Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET
Managing Up and Navigating Difficult Leadership
What do you do if your direct supervisor or other leadership is creating challenges? This session will discuss ways to "manage up" and advocate for yourself or your team. We will also discuss practical ideas you can suggest or create at work to build support where you might not have it, such as affinity groups and caucusing.
Speaker:
|
To be announced |
|
For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co.
Online Course Preview
A preview of how we build your library skills and bring inspiration to your projects with our online learning experience.
Course Format
One-Week Timeline (Course Runs 3+ Weeks)
|
DAYS 1-2 On Demand |
DAY 3 2.5 hours |
DAYS 4-7 1-2 hours (optional) |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
PRE-LIVE SESSION - Resources - Discussions - Bonus Content |
LIVE SESSIONS - Guest speakers via webcast - Q&A via chat - Recordings available on demand |
ASYNCHRONOUS WORKSHOP - Project-based homework, applied to your job - Personalized feedback from a facilitator - Group discussion in an asynchronous workshop setting via discussion forum |
3-WEEK WORKSHOP - Facilitator-led feedback WEEK 1 Establish goals and priorities WEEK 2 Research and gather data WEEK 3 Create your blueprint |
Inspiring Live Guest Speakers + Facilitated Group Workshop for Project-Based Learning
Live session with Andrea Blackman and Tasneem Ansariyah Grace |
Live Guest Speakers Each Week
|
Online Course Features
Recordings of guest speakers |
Recordings Available After The Live Session
|
Facilitator-led workshop |
Online Classroom Organizes All Materials
|
Early Access On Demand Resources |
Early Access and Ongoing Resources To Support Learning
|
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
Thank you for visiting.
We’ve noticed you are using a private browser. To continue, please log in or create an account.
