Few things are as important to us as our children.  When they go off to school, we expect them to be safe and treated with dignity.  The role of school resource officers (SROs) is crucial in meeting those expectations. In addition, SROs have an opportunity to mentor students and engage in community policing in a way that many officers cannot. However, the behavior of many children and adolescents can be very challenging, especially their lack of respect for basic rules of behavior and language.  SROs are often dealing primarily with these students while recognizing the need to model appropriate social behavior. In light of these realities, SROs must become masters of verbal conflict management skills. 

When negative verbal encounters with students, faculty, parents or staff escalate to the point where physical intervention is used, criticism often results when it is later discovered that there was little evidence of verbal de-escalation techniques being employed by officers.  In today’s world, these incidents are also often recorded and quickly uploaded to the internet without proper context.  This leads many public safety and educational leaders to ask, “Have we adequately trained our personnel to successfully manage and respond to verbal confrontations in a professional manner?”  Surviving Verbal Conflict® verbal de-escalation training can provide SROs and other school staff with time-tested, evidence-based communication skills proven to help de-escalate 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 tenants of the Surviving Verbal Conflict® system with a particular emphasis on keeping the peace in a school environment. It will give the attendee a basic foundation in verbal de-escalation skills that the attendee can start to practice and apply immediately in their work. Attendees 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 school environment. 

Topics covered will include:

• How to apply Aristotle’s Art of Persuasion when deflecting & redirecting verbal abuse
• Avoid the “Rope-A-Dope Syndrome”
• Practice “Verbal Contact & Cover” principles
• Apply the FAA’s “Sterile Cockpit Rule” on duty
• Understand the importance of “Chief Dolan’s 24 Hour Rule” as a key component of communication success
• Raise organizational morale and better grasp the concept of “Police Legitimacy”