ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on the premise that everyone needs to develop skills to be able to function within the complex and diverse groups that exist in healthcare settings. The ability to work flexibly and responsively with the people we encounter needs developing. Acquiring these skills is not an exact science. We know that people respond well to authenticity and badly to jargon and ‘management-speak’. However, when you are in a pressurised situation with peers or patients, a key skill is that of self-regulation and being able to contain your own and other people’s anxieties. Finding ways of relating to others that you are comfortable with and balancing all the different pressures requires practice, so we have included in this section several exercises and activities that you can try in your workplace.
