How to Diffuse Anger in Others in the Workplace

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Brenda F. Dixon, a licensed clinical social worker here in Nashville, Tennessee and we're here with Expert Village today. It's important when you're managing anger in the workplace and someone else is getting angry, you want to learn how to defuse it. Facial expressions are very important, not acting demanding, pushy, shut up, none of those things, none of those sighing, those mannerisms of body language, not to get preoccupied with what's going on around you, stay just level, stable. It's very important to stay stable. I don't want you to get into a position where you are totally sucked in to what's going on. The kindest thing you can do is you can say things like this and this will really defuse a person that's upset; what is it that's upsetting you about this? Now did you see the tone that I used? I didn't say now what is it that's upsetting you about this? I didn't do that. I used a very flat line way of speaking. What is it that's upsetting you? Really takes the person to a place where they can stop the yelling, and the ranting and the whatever it is that they're upset about and it'll actually make them, force them to a position where they'll stop to think well what am I upset about? You can also say; when was it that you got upset? See these questions are methods, techniques for defusing the angry hard head. You can also do it for yourself since we're doing a two way. If you start to get upset, you can say what is it that I'm upset about? When did I start to get upset? Get your piece of paper, write it down. It'll defuse yourself. Now it takes a little more practice to do that, it's a little easier to defuse somebody else than it is yourself but it can be done. I want you to do know that as long as you remain confident, that you can do this, you can do it."