Become a Samurai of Conflict Communication

All Contact Professionals training/needing to be experts in conflict communication (aka: de-escalation) should immediately notice the validity of all these 6 points (attributed to Morihei Ueshiba). If you don’t, then you’re likely only familiar with less-than-complete, check-the-box type trainings that attempt to boil things down to a few simplistic techniques. Conflict communication has its own well-developed philosophy. There is no simple technique that enables us … Continue reading Become a Samurai of Conflict Communication

Morgan Freeman on Conflict Communication (aka: De-Escalation)

Hi All, Not much needs to be said in words by me here. Simply read this post’s pic wherein Morgan Freeman outlines major principles of conflict communication, aka de-escalation. This highlights the fact that conflict communication (popularly known as de-escalation) is as much psychology as it is anything else. Conflict communication is not simply a grab-bag of disparate techniques! Don’t ever minimize the value of … Continue reading Morgan Freeman on Conflict Communication (aka: De-Escalation)

REspect All Persons…Always

Dr. George Thompson, creator of Verbal Judo, identified (and gave a name to) just this practice of professionally given “REspect” (his unique spelling) to distinguish it from the commonly known form of earned “respect.” This is one of the many tools, tactics, practices, and strategies that he contributed to the world of Conflict Communication. His pioneering work forms the foundation of many Conflict Communication programs … Continue reading REspect All Persons…Always

How not to Represent an Organization (Hint: It’s not about you)

Hi All, Please read this article over at Police1. It’s about a young man who felt he needed to express himself on TikTok. It’s important to note that this gentleman was disciplined because of what he did. He could have kept his perceptions and intentions to himself. The moment he acted on them, however, by posting them on social media it became an issue for … Continue reading How not to Represent an Organization (Hint: It’s not about you)

Empathy is not Sympathy

Hi All, I continue to witness how many people confuse empathy with sympathy.  They are not the same. Just the other day, I was having a conversation with a high-level law enforcement leader.  I mentioned the value and importance of empathy for Law Enforcement, Police, and Security Professionals.  He quickly nodded, affirming that he agreed.  Then he made a statement where he explicitly made synonymous … Continue reading Empathy is not Sympathy

How & Why to Be UnTriggerable in Conflict

  Hi All, We’ve all been there.  Someone with whom we’re dealing gives us a look, calls us an asshole, or simply walks away in a disrespectful manner while we’re talking to them. Or some variation of dismissive, insultive, disrespectful behavior.  As a Contact Professional (e.g., Law Enforcement, Security, Parking Enforcement, etc.), it is our duty to maintain our professional behavior despite provocations from others.  … Continue reading How & Why to Be UnTriggerable in Conflict

Creating a Non-Escalatory/Safe Culture is far more than simply using a “Technique”

Hi All, Please see this valuable article about violence in healthcare.  It’s a useful article in that it highlights the growing violence which healthcare professionals must face every day.  Healthcare in the present era is not the healthcare of our parents and grandparents.  Most nurses today experience levels of anxiety and aggression in patients and visitors that simply did not exist years ago to the … Continue reading Creating a Non-Escalatory/Safe Culture is far more than simply using a “Technique”

The Big DL & GJT on How to Save the World

Hi All, It’s funny how two seemingly disparate voices can see and speak the same truth. “In our quest for happiness and the avoidance of suffering, we are all fundamentally the same, and therefore equal. Despite all the characteristics that differentiate us – race, language, religion, gender, wealth and many others – we are all equal in terms of our basic humanity.”  ~ Tenzin Gyatso, … Continue reading The Big DL & GJT on How to Save the World

The Last Word

  Hi All, Please see this brief article targeted at a leadership audience.  As the author of that article makes clear, getting the last word when involved in a verbal retort with someone is an ego-boost.  The ego, in its drive to be correct, wants the last word, and we often find ourselves doing whatever it takes to get it. For Law Enforcement, Public Safety, … Continue reading The Last Word

A Baseline Strategy for all De-Escalation

Hi All, For the Contact Professional, it is vital that s/he gets and maintains rapport with others, all the while remaining physically safe. How do you get a rapport with others, particularly those in crisis? Two things constitute a fundamental baseline and are the very foundation of any non-escalatory and de-escalatory efforts.  With these two things in place, non-escalation and de-escalation efforts will have the … Continue reading A Baseline Strategy for all De-Escalation