Course Description

Public safety dispatchers are required to hone a number of important skills, such as the ability to multitask and make quick decisions while under stress.  However, no skill is more important for public safety telecommunicators than the ability to communicate verbally with people in crisis. Through their choice of words and voice inflection, telecommunicators must empathetically convey support and calmness to people in distress while quickly gathering crucial information, no matter how distressed or argumentative the caller might be.  Telecommunicators must do all this while keeping their own emotions in check.

Surviving Verbal Conflict® training provides public safety professionals with time-tested communications skills proven to help de-escalate volatile situations and safeguard their emotional and professional well-being. 

Today’s increased scrutiny placed upon public safety professionals has resulted in the growing need to master verbal conflict management skills.  When negative verbal encounters escalate to the point where mistakes are made or professionalism slips, criticism often abounds when there is little evidence of verbal de-escalation techniques employed.  This is particularly true when audio recording evidence of the incident exists.  In some cases, it has become clear that the verbal actions of the dispatchers actually served to escalate the situation.  Many public safety leaders are now asking, "Have we adequately trained our personnel to successfully manage and respond to verbal confrontations in a professional manner?" 

Surviving Verbal Conflict® training equips public safety professionals with the tools to survive stressful, heated verbal encounters with tact, poise and professionalism.  This 2-hour webinar is a brief primer of the full Surviving Verbal Conflict® course.  This webinar will introduce the attendee to the basic tenants of the Surviving Verbal Conflict® system.  It will give the attendee a basic foundation in verbal de-escalation skills that the attendee can start to practice and apply right away in their jobs.  Attendees who 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 this webinar, topics covered will include:

  • Defusing potentially volatile verbal encounters with Aristotle’s “Rhetorical Perspective” and Chief Dolan’s “Rhetorical Continuum” 
  • Applying the FAA's "Sterile Cockpit Rule" while interacting with members of the public
  • Developing skills to “Deflect & Redirect Verbal Abuse” and avoid creating jeopardy
  • Understanding the importance of "Chief Dolan's 24-Hour Rule" as a key component of communication success
  • Incorporating “Post-Incident Debriefing Fundamentals” after negative verbal encounters 

Instructor

CEO, Dolan Consulting Group

| Chief Harry Dolan (Ret.)

Harry P. Dolan is a 32-year police veteran who served as a Chief of Police since 1987. As one of the nation's most experienced police chiefs, he brings 25 years of public safety executive experience to Dolan Consulting Group. He retired in October 2012 as Chief of Police of the Raleigh (N.C.) Police Department, an agency comprised of nearly 900 employees in America's 42nd largest city.

Chief Dolan began his law enforcement career in 1980 as a deputy sheriff in Asheville, North Carolina and served there until early 1982, when he joined the Raleigh Police Department, where he served as a patrol officer. In 1987, he was appointed Chief of Police for the N.C. Department of Human Resources Police Department, located in Black Mountain. He served as Chief of Police in Lumberton, N.C. from 1992 until 1998, when he became Chief of Police of the Grand Rapids, Michigan Police Department. He served in that capacity for nearly ten years before becoming Chief of the Raleigh Police Department in September 2007. As Chief, he raised the bar at every organization and left each in a better position to both achieve and sustain success.

Harry Dolan has lectured throughout the United States and has trained thousands of public safety professionals in the fields of Leadership & Management, Communications Skills, and Community Policing. Past participants have consistently described Chief Dolan's presentations as career changing, characterized by his sense of humor and unique ability to maintain participants' interest throughout his training sessions. Chief Dolan's demonstrated ability to connect with his clientele and deliver insightful instruction all with uncompromising principles will be of tremendous value in the private sector.

Chief Dolan's unbridled passion to achieve service-excellence is a driving force behind Dolan Consulting Group. He is a graduate of Western Carolina University and holds a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Before You Start

    • Consent Questions

  • 2

    Webinar

    • Surviving Verbal Conflict®: Verbal De-Escalation Skills for Telecommunications Dispatchers | Hour 1

    • Surviving Verbal Conflict®: Verbal De-Escalation Skills for Telecommunications Dispatchers | Hour 2