For the Love of Humanity, Communicate Well

See this excellent post from Shane Parrish. His thoughts and observations are highly recommended for all who wish to explore things off the beaten path. When we communicate with another person, and we disagree with them, particularly about some sensitive and/or emotion-provoking subject, we may be inclined to then label the person as “stupid,” “ignorant,” “backward,” etc. We then mentally exile them and view them … Continue reading For the Love of Humanity, Communicate Well

Building Better Humans

We’ve written about this before. Sadly, however, we still witness intentions in many industries missing the mark. Don’t get me wrong; they’re well-intentioned efforts. Nonetheless, blind spots keep us mired in less-than-useful thinking that keeps society from evolving (yes, society can indeed evolve). Look for a moment at active assailants/active shooters. The point of impact, the moment of “bang,” is the shooting. We know well, … Continue reading Building Better Humans

Distraction is Dangerous

I ask that you reflect upon how many (some might say most) modern human beings are far worse at reading the body language of their fellow human beings than our ancient ancestors. Why? Because we are distracted by words. We place such a high importance on what others verbally say, while we overlook what their bodies are non-verbally saying. We are distracting ourselves (by an … Continue reading Distraction is Dangerous

Smile to Create Safety

There’s nothing quite as unprofessional and banal as the Law Enforcement Officer, Police Officer, Public Safety Official, Healthcare Security Officer, Security Officer, or other Contact Professional who (wrongly) presumes that a stern outer appearance is an effective way to greet others. It’s not. A stern outer facial expression, often accompanied by an unfriendly, overly-directive tone of voice, and accompanying, unfriendly, body language is not helpful. … Continue reading Smile to Create Safety

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

It’s All about Helping

Regardless of profession – and ESPECIALLY for the disciplines of Healthcare Security, Security, Public Safety, Policing, and other Contact Professional disciplines – if you do not understand people well (with an eye toward leaving them better than you find them and not simply “controlling” them), then you’re an amateur. You need to step aside and let Professionals take the reigns, for we have the potential … Continue reading It’s All about Helping

De-Escalate This Person First

See this valuable article over at Police1. The points therein are all fundamental to all high-quality Conflict Communication training. So often overlooked in Conflict Communication training is the fact that the most important person to keep non-escalated, and to de-escalate as necessary, is oneself. All success sits on this fact. Leaders, pay attention to this. If you have on your force an Officer Schitzstorm (thank … Continue reading De-Escalate This Person First

Vehicle Stops are People Stops: When you train for one, you train for both

Hi All, See this article over at Police1. Note that the same de-escalation (and hopefully non-escalation as well) tactics taught for the purpose of making vehicle pursuits as safe (physically, legally, emotionally, and otherwise) as possible are (should be) the same as keeping any people-stops safe, namely self/attitude management, nimble judgment & decision-making skills, all the while maintaining awareness of the need for immediate violence … Continue reading Vehicle Stops are People Stops: When you train for one, you train for both