Verbal Intervention

The following summarizes verbal and non-verbal communication, negotiation, mediation and conflict management skills. All these behaviours may apply to how you carry out a verbal intervention as part of incident management, depending on the nature of the situation.

Aspects to verbal intervention

• Attitude
• Listening Skills
• Basic Communication Skills
• Non-Verbal Communication Skills
• Negotiation Skills
• Mediation Techniques
• Personal Anger Management

Attitude

• Be professional - be prepared and know the facts
• Be objective
• Be polite
• Be respectful of persons and privacy
• Be patient
• Be encouraging
• Be positive
• Be prepared to adapt to diverse people's needs and behaviours
• Stay calm and manage your emotions
• Be helpful
• Be open and non-defensive
• Be empathetic, not sympathetic

Listening skills

• Listen carefully for feelings as well as words
• Note body language cues
• Listen attentively
• Do not interrupt
• Keep an open mind

Basic communication skills

• Create a positive atmosphere, when possible
• Let clients get to know you
• State who you are and why you are there
• Speak clearly, using vocabulary the client will understand
• Ask for an interpreter, as required
• Advise that you are there to help
• If required, set limits that are clear, reasonable and enforceable
• Help clients dismiss unfounded worries so that you can address the problem
• Smile or use humor appropriately
• Allow clients to vent
• Do not argue or place blame
• Do not accuse, use sarcasm or threaten
• Do not give false reassurance
• Ask open-ended positive questions, that people are not afraid to answer
• Clarify where necessary
• Probe to ensure full understanding of the situation. Attempt to get at the reasons for acting out
• Paraphrase to ensure your understanding of the client's perspective. Do not interpret or explain what the client feels, said or did
• Openly acknowledge differences of opinion
• Focus on common ground. Do not get bogged down in differences
• Do not judge
• Do not send conflicting messages
• Have the clients help generate strategies to address the problem
• Ask for more than one solution
• Focus on solutions, not personalities
• Do not pressure clients into quick decisions
• Ensure that the pros and cons of options are explored
  Summarize to ensure an understanding of your agreement

Top of Page

Non-verbal communication skills

• Note your clients' non-verbal cues
• Use appropriate gestures
• Smile or look in control, as appropriate
• Do not frown, shift nervously or finger tap
• Allow people an appropriate amount of space
• Keep eye contact
• Remove your hat, sunglasses, or sit to indicate you are in no hurry, as appropriate
• Carry yourself in a manner that conveys professionalism rather than authority.
• Use tone indicating a positive attitude, authority, or empathy, as appropriate.
• Control the pitch and volume of your voice to demonstrate your calm and control.
• Use silence as appropriate.

Negotiation skills

• Separate the people from the problem
• Know your best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA)
• Clarify interests not positions. Look for common ground
• Develop options for mutual gain
• Use criteria for legitimacy - Is it fair? Reasonable?
• Facilitate good two way communication
• Make commitments only at the end of the process.

Mediation techniques

• Separate the disputants
• Tell them to take a few deep breaths, and exhale slowly.
• Stay calm, and speak in a calming voice
• State your business and why you are there
• Practice Active Listening
• Let person(s) vent frustrations
• Body language shows you are listening
• Do not interrupt unless necessary
• Explain that you would like to hear each side of the story
• Do not give advice
• Do not take sides
• Do not solve their problem for them
• Establish the ground rules
• Listen respectfully
• Do not interrupt
• Avoid judgement , blame or ridicule. Turn "you" statements into "I" statements.
• Help the disputants
• Summarize
• Clarify
• Paraphrase
• Encourage the disputants to write down their thoughts to better resolve the problem
• Respect the disputants as people

Top of Page

Personal anger management
Prepared by Dr. J. Singer

Ask yourself the following:

Have I prepared myself by:

• developing a plan of action to maintain a professional and non
• antagonistic approach
• avoiding the "Common Thinking Traps" such as:
  • All or Nothing Thinking
  • Mind Reading
  • Emotion Reasoning
  • Jumping to Conclusions
  • Destructive Labeling
  • Magnification

Have I handled "Confrontational Points" by:

• not allowing myself to take it personally
• defusing the situation
• staying in control

Have I coped with my own anger by:

• recognizing my body's anger signals (i.e. muscles getting tense)
• using my breathing and relaxation techniques to stay in control

After the situation, did I use appropriate techniques to deal with my anger by:

• talking to someone
• describing the situation using less stressful words
• taking a hot bath-shower
• distracting myself (music, T.V. etc.)
• planning something unconnected to anger
• smiling
• performing relaxation exercises
• doing something physical
• doing a good deed for someone
• writing positive helpful reminders in a journal