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”
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.
Consent Questions
Verbal De-Escalation for School Resource Officers: Surviving Verbal Conflict® | Hour 1
Verbal De-Escalation for School Resource Officers: Surviving Verbal Conflict® | Hour 2
