Use your words: the art of Verbalisation

[Samurai-do]

I haven't posted in a while owing to exam revision but in my being remiss I had an interesting altercation...
Use your words: the art of verbalisation
feedback, comments, rebuttal etc. as always appreciated!

 

[Bill Mattocks]

As a police dispatcher, I learned to use my tone as well as my words to keep control of the 911 phone conversations. Sometimes that meant shouting over the top of the caller, other times it meant speaking very clearly and slowly. Sometimes it meant using very simple words, spoken slowly and clearly, to work with a person who was not a native English speaker. Sharp, commanding, soothing, calm, it all depends on the situation and the person you're talking to.

As a Marine MP, I learned to use my 'command voice' to get the attention of the Marines and other servicemen I had to deal with; but Marines are used to responding correctly to strong authority figures. I also learned that body posture, facial expressions, and gestures can either calm or exacerbate a situation. It's not always easy to know which is the most appropriate in any situation that you're attempting to resolve peacefully, because people and situations vary.

As a young and fairly stupid Marine, I confess to having used nothing more than body posture or facial expression to provoke fights at times; so escalation as well as de-escalation is equally possible. My late father used to warn me that "Some day your mouth is going to write a check that your body can't cash." He was right, as fathers so often are. I did learn my lesson, but the tuition was...painful.

Now, for example, I might talk to a drunken and belligerent person very differently if they were part of a crowd of their buddies than if they were alone. For example, it is sometimes effective to allow a person who is with his mates to save face and walk away with bragging rights while still de-escalating the situation, while if the person is alone, a threat display can bring about a submissive response without the need for them to preserve their ego in front of their pals.

The most dangerous situation to de-escalate is often a drunken angry male who is in the company of a female who encourages him. It's hard enough to get him to back down if she's telling him to back down as well; it's nearly impossible if she is egging him on.

Given that circumstances are different between law enforcement and the average person on the street (cops can't run away, civilians generally should if they can, etc), verbal interaction and body posture are important tools for both, but are generally used differently.

In either case, however, one must still be prepared for Plan B if one cannot 'talk their way out of trouble.' Not to minimize your statements on your blog, just to point out that one must always be ready for the alternative.

 

[Samurai-do]

As a police dispatcher, I learned to use my tone as well as my words to keep control of the 911 phone conversations. Sometimes that meant shouting over the top of the caller, other times it meant speaking very clearly and slowly. Sometimes it meant using very simple words, spoken slowly and clearly, to work with a person who was not a native English speaker. Sharp, commanding, soothing, calm, it all depends on the situation and the person you're talking to.

As a Marine MP, I learned to use my 'command voice' to get the attention of the Marines and other servicemen I had to deal with; but Marines are used to responding correctly to strong authority figures. I also learned that body posture, facial expressions, and gestures can either calm or exacerbate a situation. It's not always easy to know which is the most appropriate in any situation that you're attempting to resolve peacefully, because people and situations vary.

As a young and fairly stupid Marine, I confess to having used nothing more than body posture or facial expression to provoke fights at times; so escalation as well as de-escalation is equally possible. My late father used to warn me that "Some day your mouth is going to write a check that your body can't cash." He was right, as fathers so often are. I did learn my lesson, but the tuition was...painful.

Now, for example, I might talk to a drunken and belligerent person very differently if they were part of a crowd of their buddies than if they were alone. For example, it is sometimes effective to allow a person who is with his mates to save face and walk away with bragging rights while still de-escalating the situation, while if the person is alone, a threat display can bring about a submissive response without the need for them to preserve their ego in front of their pals.

The most dangerous situation to de-escalate is often a drunken angry male who is in the company of a female who encourages him. It's hard enough to get him to back down if she's telling him to back down as well; it's nearly impossible if she is egging him on.

Given that circumstances are different between law enforcement and the average person on the street (cops can't run away, civilians generally should if they can, etc), verbal interaction and body posture are important tools for both, but are generally used differently.

In either case, however, one must still be prepared for Plan B if one cannot 'talk their way out of trouble.' Not to minimize your statements on your blog, just to point out that one must always be ready for the alternative.

Could't agree more, Couldn't agree more