De-escalate aggressive and potentially violent situations

Aggression and violence isn’t something we came up with. Societies have been violent since the beginning of time. I want to set this up so we can have a bit of an understanding where hostility and violence originated. Keep in mind that this is just a brief overview of violence throughout history, and it is important to recognize that this topic is vast and complex. But here is condensed history of violence throughout the ages:

In this lecture I will give you an understanding to why violence, aggression and hostility are prevalent in our society

Deescalation refers to the process of reducing or diffusing tension, conflict, or aggression in a situation. It involves employing strategies and techniques to calm down escalating emotions and promote a more peaceful and manageable environment. Deescalation aims to prevent a situation from escalating further and potentially becoming more dangerous or violent.

Our number one priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone involved, including yourself and others. Here are some key points to consider when facing aggressive individuals, and I will try to give some real life examples along the way.

We will explain the following concepts including:

• Staying Calm

• Ensure personal safety

• Avoid confrontation:

• Display empathy and respect

• Maintain boundaries

• Seek assistance if needed

Human aggression can arise from various factors, including biological, psychological, and sociocultural influences. While the origins of aggression are complex and multifaceted, here are some key factors that contribute to aggressive behavior:

• Biological Factors

• Psychological Factors

• Social and Environmental Factors

• Frustration and Provocation

• Alcohol and Substance Use

There could be numerous reasons why people are experiencing heightened anger or frustration. While it's difficult to pinpoint a specific cause, it may be due to some societal factors including:

• Social and political issues

• Economic concerns

• Cultural and identity clashes

• Online communication and social media

• Personal struggles and stress

We will explore the 7 stages of Anger ranging from minor discomfort and frustration all the way up to crisis

In this session you will once again watch part of a zoom call with participants walking them through the goal of verbal de-escalation and Natural and practices skills of handling the wide spectrum of customers including

Essential:

Good attitude

Positive regard for all people

A capacity and ability to use empathy

Recognise:

There are customers who experience difficulty in conforming to what is expected of them. This may be due to cognitive impairment—for example, delirium, psychosis, intoxication, and intellectual disability

Then there are skills which are difficult to teach however over time through practice, persistence and patience you  can gain skills in the following

Practiced or life experiences:

Resilience

Mental toughness

Courage

Confidence

TAC (Tactical Assertive Communication) and NVC (Non Violent Communication)

In this module I would like to talk about the process of de escalating any situation using the widely used model which I created.

In most cases disagreements can be resolved almost immediately but what happens when a customer is not happy with the resolution? It is at this point The de escalation process is put in place.

We focus on the customer by

Acknowledging their concerns by empathising

Clarifing the message back to them by understanding context

and then we

Aim to propose the Reality of the current situation

Followed by identifying an Action plan for a way forward

I met with Chief superintendent Inspector Corey Allen in a previous sit down interview and afterwards he wrote a post showing his colleagues how important it was to display EMPATHY.

There are of course lots of options, but when it comes to the crunch there are only three. Two of which are applicable and suggested and the third id just downright foolish

In this module I want to discuss why having a planned response to a situation when dealing with an angry person far outweighs relying on your immediate reaction and impulse to systematically calm a person down. These are the two different approaches that can yield different outcomes.

This is the beginning of where the next 4 lectures including this one are the corner stones on understanding and applying the strategy