Conflict Resolution Greetings are how we achieve non-escalation by shaping the initial contact with the other person carefully and sensitively.
It’s an unfortunate fact about human beings that we make snap judgments about others. We get an initial impression about a situation or a person and that directs how we respond to what happens next.
When you’re at work and you need to speak to somebody — a client, customer, resident, patient, or whomever — it’s really important that you create a safe and supportive atmosphere from the very beginning. We call that a non-escalation strategy.
Our goal is to improve communication flow by establishing trust with the person, going beyond their natural hesitation to comply or collaborate with us through our tone and facial gestures, and encouraging them to feel safe.
There appear to be some reflexive questions that people immediately ask themselves when a person in authority — or somebody who works for a company — appears in front of them and intrudes on their day. Instinctively, people want to know: who you are, what authority you have to be standing in front of them, why you’ve come to speak to them, and what’s going to happen next.
💡 The Universal Greeting formula: Give them an appropriate greeting. Identify yourself and your role or authority. Tell them why you’ve come to speak to them and give them information about the purpose of your interaction. Lastly, make an appropriate and reasonable request of them.
What this does is ensure you start off your interaction in the best way possible. If it goes badly from that point on, it won’t be because you missed the crucial element of creating a safe and supportive atmosphere.
Remember: these days we have to consider that we may be on camera, being watched or listened to at any time. Answering the key questions at the very beginning — our universal greeting — engenders the best start to every interaction.
For more information, visit vistelar.com or go to dynamis.training to see about our courses in the U.K.
Gerard O’Dea is a conflict management, personal safety and physical interventions training consultant. He is the training director for Dynamis, a specialist in personal safety and violence reduction initiatives and the European Adviser for ‘Verbal Defense and Influence’, a global programme which addresses the spectrum of human conflict. www.dynamis.training/
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