Difficult People

By C. LaRene Hall

Last week at work, I received a solicitation to attend a seminar about dealing with difficult people. As I read about the traits of these people I had to chuckle. Yes, I know people who fall in all of these categories. Then I decided to use these different types of people in the stories I write.
Everyone knows a ‘know-it-all’ who is arrogant and has opinions on every issue. If someone proves them wrong, they get defensive. This would make a great character.

There are the ‘no’ people who are quick to point out why the thing you suggest won’t work. The ‘yes’ people are the ones who agree to all commitments, but rarely follow through.

I hate being in a meeting with someone who is ‘passive’, never offers an idea or lets you know where they stand. Of course, it’s worse being in such a meeting with the ‘dictator’ that bullies and intimidates everyone. They are demanding and critical, and make everyone uncomfortable.

We mustn’t forget the ‘gripers’ that prefer complaining rather than finding solutions. By including these different types of people in my stories, it would create lots of conflict. I wonder why I never thought about that before.

You can guess what my next story is going to include – a character with each of these traits. People who know when to push the right buttons at the correct time will make a good story.