Dealing with Hostility

Responding to Aggression: Professional De-escalation Training

Course Overview

With the fast pace of today's workplace, being the recipient of hostile or aggressive behaviour is a common reality for a number of employees. Whether that be an angry customer, a panicked coworker, or someone who's clearly had the most terrible day, being able to handle situations like these with finesse is key to keeping professional relationships and your day to day office environment running smoothly.

This revolutionary training gives people practical, research based techniques for defusing and handling antagonistic interactions with confidence and class. Based on psychological tactics and actual application, the course covers de-escalation tactics that allow you to preserve your well being and business relationships.

The training focuses on the root causes of hostility, how to identify warning signs before it's too late and how to use established communication tools to turn a potentially harmful situation into an opportunity. Attendees will build the emotional strength necessary to manage tough scenarios without taking stress home.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the course, the attendants will be able to:

Recognise behavioural and verbal cues indicating that a client may become violent before behaviours reach critical stages

Use certain communication models made to defuse the very agitated individual

Show authoritative, yet approachable, body language and voice techniques that communicate confidence

Practice setting boundaries in a way where you remain professional, but in a way that also protects your personal well being

Leverage recovery and reset strategies to get conversations back on track and move towards action

Build resilience tactics to stop challenging exchanges from getting you down

What You Will Learn

Module 1: Recognising Hostility in the Workplace

The psychology of why we act and what can set us off

Identifying the difference between ad hominem and displaced frustration

Conditions of environment that favour antagonistic interaction

Module 2: Identification and Prevention at an Early Stage

Picking up on verbal and non verbal signals that something is about to turn ugly

Communication tools for stopping problems before they get out of hand

Developing eco systems in which the conflict space can be minimised automatically

Module 3: De-escalation Communication Strategies

Positive language patterns that will subconsciously block the aggressor out

What you accomplish by listening in difficult situations

Ways to validate feelings for damage control without taking the blame

Module 4: Professional in the Mind of a Moment

Body Language for Calming Confidence

Voice control methods for gaining and keeping dominance

Navigating your own emotional reactions during challenging encounters

Module 5: Boundaries and Being In Control

Professional alternatives for setting those boundaries without breeding conflict

How to steer complaining conversations towards solutions

When and how to bring in supervisors or security guards

Module 6: Recovery and Resilience

Practices to shepherd off topic discussions to productive results

Personal debriefing techniques for difficult interactions

Get emotionally strong for the long game of your career

Training Methodology

The course equips the students with theoretical knowledge and hands on experience through:

Scenario based practice in interactive workshops with realistic scenarios

Face to face simulation of different attacking types for different personalities and hostility levels

Successful de escalation techniques analysis on video

Group interactions and learning from each other

One to one running and technique coaching focussing on personal areas of challenge

Attendees apply the skills they learn in scenarios that represent situations faced in various work settings.

Assessment and Certification

Learning in the course will be demonstrated by:

Practical role play assessments

Reflection record of written reflection on personal development areas completed throughout the programme

Develop an action plan to incorporate strategies into their work environment

Completion of the course is marked by a professional development certificate of competency in conflict de escalation and handling hostile situations.

Course Benefits

This course will enable you to take away with you the practical benefits of increased confidence when dealing with difficult people, less stress at work, improved relationships. But the skills he has learnt are applicable outside the office, and have improved his personal communication skills and overall satisfaction with life.

You tell me you feel more empowered, less anxious in difficult interpersonal interactions on the job, and, as a result, you deliver better job performance and more opportunities for career advancement.

Concluding Remarks

Allowing professional hostility How you manage hostility is a major professional skill that affects not only you and your success but also the culture of your Organisation. This well rounded training package gives you the skills, knowledge and the confidence to make every difficult interaction a potential win win situation.

By learning de escalation techniques that work and by putting them in practice, you gain both the professional presence and emotional resilience needed for a long and satisfying career in any field.

Available in Perth. Find out about professional development opportunities.