When emotions are triggered
Good things happen when cooler heads prevail. This adage applies to customer disputes in retail as much as it does for tense interactions in law enforcement.
“Customer service shines or falls in moments of escalation,” says Steven Poplawski, founder and lead trainer of Step Training Inc. “It’s easy to provide good service to someone who’s being nice and respectful with you, but the real skill is being able to deescalate an emotional situation before it becomes a crisis.”
And make no mistake, Poplawski adds, law enforcement is as much about providing high-quality public service during moments of escalation as it is about defusing extreme situations: “For most officers, those life-or-death scenarios you see play out in cop shows or the movies only happen about one per cent of the time, if not less. The other 99 per cent of the time, officers are responding to a citizen who is upset about something, whether it’s getting a parking ticket, getting stopped on the street, or just dealing with a stressful situation.”
Crisis management skills are still important in the field, he adds. Still, it’s managing those smaller day-to-day events a customer-service philosophy that ultimately pays off: “Because 99.9% of the time, those service-oriented skills are what will stop a situation from getting worse.”
When tempers flare
Deescalation skills do not come naturally. A uniform and badge do not automatically equip individuals with the skills to provide effective service during moments of conflict. The good news is these skills can be taught, and that training begins with understanding what can spark them to begin with.
“In many cases, confrontations begin when people have been emotionally triggered by something. They enter a temporary state of anger or frustration, and now they’re standing in front of an officer ready to take it to the next level,” says Poplawski.
It can be difficult to keep tempers in check during these moments, but that’s exactly what delivering effective service means.
“When an individual is mad and arguing with an officer, they’re not really communicating; they’re venting. Nothing is going to be accomplished until you work through those initial emotions and get to a place where you can actually start talking and working towards a resolution,” says Poplawski.
Deescalation techniques can be applied to cut through this “emotional noise.” In general, however, it’s about working past the surface frustrations to get at the source of the individual’s frustration.
“And I can tell you that the source in most cases is a sense of being targeted,” notes Poplawski. “More often than not, those individuals are mad because they feel singled out by the police, even when that’s not the case at all. Once you talk them down from that emotional place, you can start shifting to a solution-oriented conversation. That’s where meaningful resolutions take shape.”
Of course, it’s also important for officers to keep their tempers in check. That means putting egos aside and managing their own emotions to handle the situation calmly and pivot towards a solution.
“It’s not a question of who is right or wrong; it’s about reducing the tension so that you work towards a positive outcome,”
It’s a challenge to deliver high-quality service in emotional situations. Nevertheless, law enforcement professionals build stronger public relations when they approach conflicts with the goal of finding common ground.
“Once you know how to provide meaningful service in those smaller interactions, you can prevent them from becoming bigger than they need to be,” adds Poplawski, adding, “Also, you build a level of trust and respect that will help you do your job more effectively from that point forward.”
Learn more about Step Training Inc. courses for law enforcement, municipal staff, and security professionals. Visit www.steptraininginc.com, email info@steptraininginc.com, or call 1-647-402-2027.
