Course Overview for Agencies and Departments Restricted from using Deadly Force.

INTRODUCTION:

We are safer when we use our words to achieve a professional purpose rather than express our personal feelings.  The most dangerous weapon we carry is a cocked tongue and we must learn to use words as a tool rather than a weapon.  Mind and mouth disharmony causes violence.

Everything we teach in Verbal Judo can markedly enhance our ability to look and sound good, as well as be good.  How we do what we do is often the difference between success and failure, and we teach people how to deliver information to others with dignity and respect.

This focus on the “art of delivery” results in fewer complaints from interactions with citizens, hence generating less law suits and complaints from the actions we take.  Many police departments have seen a reduction of up to 80% in complaints and untold dollars saved in lawsuits.  The result is less stress for everyone.

The rest of the Introduction argues that our profession ranks equally among others like law and medicine because the burden of performing professionally in situations where high stress and the potential of violence from non-compliant people is an everyday possibility. 

 

MODULE ONE:

An in depth definition of the traits of law enforcement, defining a central goal--generating voluntary compliance; our force options and the focus on presence and words.  We continue with the necessary habit of mind: the keeping of a still, or unbiased mental center during conflict as a “Contact Professional,” who is an artist at representing something other that himself.

 

MODULE TWO:

Law Enforcement Professionals work in the arena of verbal assault, and in this section we teach the theory necessary to understand how to perform a “professional self” before others.  Knowing more about communication than the people we meet enables our people to become who they have to be to handle the difficult situations they face daily.  This module demonstrates that 93% of our effectiveness lies in our delivery style, not our message.  We show how to use  “style” more effectively and safely.

 

MODULE THREE:

Here we teach the difference between an offensive attacking style of language, Verbal Karate, and the professional re-directive power of Verbal Judo.  We define our terms and demonstrate technique over brute power in a physical demonstration.  We then illustrate Verbal Judo in action through the “Five Step Hard Style” form of persuasion using several types of examples.  If the officer uses the five-step discipline, he or she cannot lose in a court of law.  We teach the limits of words and how to reach their maximum power.  If words fail, physical force can be justified.

 

MODULE FOUR:

We must work on the minds of the people under our jurisdiction to preserve peace and credibility.  Here we teach the three arts necessary to change the way people behave when they are under an influence, from drugs to rage.  How to influence citizens to think better for themselves than they may naturally desire is the sum of the three arts.  When we do this we maintain a line between order and disorder, peace and violence.

 

MODULE FIVE:

Here we teach the four basic appeals of persuasion and arm our people with 46 principles of disinterest and flexibility taken directly from real life experiences with people in conflict.  Knowing the four appeals enables us to keep mentally flexible in approaches to persuasion and more efficient in the use of words.  Knowing the ethical and verbal principles help keep us centered and focused on the goal of generating voluntary compliance rather than reacting to personal feelings.

 

MODULE SIX:

Here we teach the mental discipline or modes of action summarized by three acronyms.  The first teaches how to see events from a rhetorical (or a persuader’s) perspective.  The second teaches how to “read a scene” for the crucial control elements; and the last teaches the five communication tools necessary to change someone’s mind, especially under pressure.

 

MODULE SEVEN:

No one is safe when they should be acting!  We teach the five times when words fail--summed up by the acronym S.A.F.E.R.--and show how to evaluate the threat and to move to other appropriate force options.  Whenever physical force is used, S.A.F.E.R. should appear in all reports, professionally demonstrating the necessity of such action.  The force option can then be justified in a court of law.

 

Differences in the half and the full day program.

 

 

The class cost is based upon a half-day or daily fee for all government type agencies and you can put as many people in the room as will be comfortable.  It is also better explain the differences in the eight hour and the four hour program over the phone so I can answer questions immediately as they occur.  The best explanation is the eight-hour program offers me more time to develop the material so the lasting effects take better hold on the people participating. 

The four-hour program is a quick, and although a memorable program, is typically completed for organizations that want or need three things from me:

  1. A program that will not keep people from their duties for a full day.
  2. A program that will cover basic conflict situations because time is a pressing constraint and a full day program is not an option.
  3. A program that will leave people wanting the balance of the program (another four hours later or justification why they want the full two-day program) at a later date.  When this is an option organizations typically want a series of four-hour programs until the entire program is completed.

Many times larger organizations do not find quality programs or quality presenters so they are skeptical of having full day seminars.  We as presenters of the Verbal Judo program tend to break that mold and people always depart our classes wanting more information.  That is the main reason we keep a product base available for participants.  Because the profit margin is small for products, unless you are selling millions worldwide, we keep the markup minimal and use products to enhance the longevity of the material. 

The Verbal Judo program has three parts: Professionalism, Deflecting Verbal Abuse, and Redirecting Behavior from Difficult or Resistant Minds.

  •   We must accept that as professionals we must maintain a higher standard of performance that the people we meet and greet.  As professionals we are often between a rock and hard pace with the organization and rules on one side and the demands of the people we meet on the other.  We feel pressure and without training will likely say or do something that will generate ill will. 
  •     Because of the pressure we will also likely be the recipients of verbal abuse.  In a country that has free speech and where it seems that rudeness has become a right people will say things to us they might not say under conditions where less stress and frustration are present.  We must learn to deflect the verbal abuse and harsh tone and find ways to redirect their behavior.
  •     We then teach how to redirect behavior, paying less attention to the other person's words and tone and Generate Voluntary Compliance.  We are teaching to focus on behavior not attitude.  People, within reason, can say what they want as long as they do what we ask them.  The balance of the program focuses on the tactics and strategies of how to do that.

To create change in our attitude toward conflict requires time.  It takes a few hours to even build the "Habit of Mind" in parts one and two for staying disinterested during conflict.  It is a crucial element so we do not reveal our real emotional feelings during the episode and make the situation worse.  The full day program leaves more time for participants to explore the strategies and work solutions into their everyday thinking.

We feel so strongly on the full day program that we have set our pricing to help us do that.  The charge for a full day of training is $2000 and the half-day is $1800.  We also will charge for related travel costs, making the training expensive but far cheaper than the setting of even a single lawsuit out of court.

To answer another question is we occasionally have classes that are sponsored by other organizations that will allow outside guests but we primarily are hired or contracted by an organization and they invite whomever they choose to attend.  You may wish to invite another organizations to share the costs.

You will find the class beneficial to everyone attending, regardless of their level of difficulty.  We apply the material to work site situations, home issues, and general life problems in dealing with other people.  Because conflict is inevitable, we believe that success favors the prepared mind.