STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION DE-ESCALATION STRATEGIES

Public service organizations are sometimes challenged with experiences of effectively communicating with difficult members of the communities they serve. These can be trying times as some acts of incivility may be intentional or non-intentional depending on the state of mind of an agitated or aggressive person. De-escalation tactics must be considered when reasonably necessary as a strategy to defuse or reduce tension, aggression, or conflict in various situations. These tactics aim to prevent a situation from escalating further and promote a more peaceful and controlled outcome. De-escalation tactics are commonly used in settings such as law enforcement, mental health crisis intervention, customer service, and conflict resolution.

This course is intended to highlight both verbal and non-verbal communication best practices that assist in conflict resolution and de-escalation in the workplace. Rather you are leading a team or providing customer service, one can develop the tools of communicating with respect, empathy, and analytical thinking with a focus on a person’s rules, gaining compliance, or detecting whether a person goes violent or silent. Strategic communication helps to effectively de-escalate a conflict, discover an overlying concern, and return the impacted area to a civil environment.