Verbal De-Escalation Training for Campus Police and Security—Surviving Verbal Conflict®

The policing of college and university campuses poses unique challenges for law enforcement and public safety professionals.  Many college campuses foster a politically active environment in which students and faculty feel compelled to challenge authority on a regular basis.  This makes for a particularly challenging environment for officers who must keep the peace while also respecting the First Amendment rights involving freedom of speech and assembly.  

This high-pressure environment is exacerbated further by the overwhelming prevalence of individuals with smart phones at the ready, always prepared to record police-citizen interactions and upload them to the internet without proper context.  Furthermore, campus police and safety officers are encountering young people suffering mental health struggles at unprecedented levels, making their job even more challenging.

In this environment, have we adequately trained our campus police & security personnel to successfully manage and respond to verbal confrontations in a professional manner?  Surviving Verbal Conflict® verbal de-escalation training can provide campus police and safety officers with time-tested, evidence-based communication skills proven to help de-escalate potentially volatile situations, safeguard officers’ emotional and professional well-being, and significantly enhance the agency’s professional image.  

This 2-hour webinar will introduce the attendee to the basic tenets of the Surviving Verbal Conflict® system with a particular emphasis on keeping the peace in a college campus environment.  It will provide a basic foundation in verbal de-escalation skills that the attendee can start to practice and apply immediately in their work.  Participants who do follow through on practicing the basic skills taught in this webinar will be well on their way to becoming more effective professionals in interpersonal communication in the college campus environment.

Topics covered will include:

• How to apply Aristotle’s Art of Persuasion when deflecting & redirecting verbal abuse
• Avoiding the “Rope-A-Dope Syndrome”
• Practicing “Verbal Contact & Cover” principles
• Applying the FAA’s “Sterile Cockpit Rule” on duty
• Understanding the importance of “Chief Dolan’s 24 Hour Rule” as a key component of communication success
• Raising morale and revisiting the basics of police legitimacy