Passive-aggressive behavior can be maddening. It catches us off guard, causes confusion, resentment, and low morale. What causes it and how can you help prevent it? This webinar will bring together research from multiple fields on how to handle passive-aggressive behavior, with particular tips for librarians. It will also explore the causes of passive-aggressive behavior, the benefits of anger, gender biases around anger and more.

Participants will learn: 

• How passive-aggressive behavior can be an adaptive trait and encouraged through systems at work, home or in broader society 
• Signs and examples of passive-aggressive behavior 
• Tips and techniques on how to reframe the behavior and deal with it appropriately whether it is coming from colleagues, patrons, or superiors 
• What boundaries are and how they affect our behavior 
• Role play examples to more effectively communicate 

Presenter: Carrie Rogers-Whitehead spent nearly a decade in busy urban libraries, where she learned "on the ground" how to defuse conflict situations. Carrie has years of experience as a librarian working with special populations such as refugees, homeless individuals, individuals with disabilities, youth in detention and more. She was recognized for her work with these populations by being chosen as the Utah Librarian of the Year in 2013 and a Special Service award with the Red Cross. After leaving libraries in 2016, Carrie started two businesses but still guides librarians as a consultant and is the author of two books, Teen Fandom and Geek Programming: A Practical Guide for Librarians and Digital Citizenship: Teaching and Strategies from the Field. Carrie continues to work to defuse conflict situations in a digital environment in her work with Digital Respons-Ability.