- You're approached and informed that one of your employees is "on the edge" and there is a definite potential for violence.
- The employee has slipped past the PREVENTION stage, but has not YET committed violence.
- Even if law enforcement has been called, the person is in your close proximity and may need to be defused right now.
- The ball is in YOUR court. Do you have the skills to communicate in a crisis?
- You need to ask yourself, "Is this a situation I can defuse?" If yes, proceed. If no, CALL 911!
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Be guided by my Cardinal Rule as you consider your options:
"Never ever deprive another human being of personal dignity,
respect, or hope nor allow anyone else under your control to do so."
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Every one of the following five points have been used by police hostage negotiators to resolve dangerous life-threatening incidents in the field and could assist people in a workplace setting to defuse hostile and potentially dangerous people:
- Understand the most important points of the mindset of the potentially violent person...(continued)
- Take the ethical "high road"...(continued)
- LISTEN to the aggrieved party and allow...(continued)
- Allow the aggrieved party to suggest a solution...(continued)
- Move toward a win-win resolution...(continued)
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A PARTING COMMENT:
This list, "5 ways to defuse violence" surprises people with its simplicity. I have been asked many times if it works. I can say first hand that it has worked with people who have already committed murder and have threatened to kill hostages.
The "list" has even worked for people classified as "sociopaths," people without feeling. Even though they may not have feelings for others, they still have feeling for themselves and they respond positively to a dignified approach to problem resolution. It works as long as the person on whom it is being used has a capacity for comprehension and understanding. If mental illness or drugs blocks that capacity, it may not work nor would anything else perhaps.
The "List" is nothing more than the practical application of dignity and respect. It can be used everywhere. Not only can it be used in the context of a hostage taking, it can also be employed by parents, teachers, counselors and anywhere else where human interaction takes place.
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