Gary Klugiewicz

Gary Klugiewicz here,

Whether you are a police officer, teacher, healthcare professional, utility worker, or other contact professional, are you ready to answer the “have you ever received conflict management training,” question in court?

1. Your answer should be yes, I have had conflict management training: “I learned how to TREAT PEOPLE RIGHT (show the front of card) by learning How to Show People Respect (show the top of the back of the card).”

2. When asked how to do this: read the 5 Approaches for showing people respect (show them the middle of the back of the card).

3. Finally, if asked, how have you been trained to apply these 5 Approaches: (show them, and read, the Empathy Triad located on the bottom of the back of the card).

This explanation should make it very clear to the lawyer questioning you that you have had conflict management training. In addition, it will probably make the attorney very careful about the next question that the attorney asks you.

Practicing this with the TREAT PEOPLE RIGHT Card will prepare you for answering this difficult question in court. While you may not be able to use the actual TREAT PEOPLE RIGHT Card in court, having it in your wallet or carried in your ID lanyard can provide a powerful message as to how important this training was to you.

Watch this video to learn how to use the TREAT PEOPLE RIGHT Card to answer this question.

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Hello there.  Gary Klugiewicz here.

We have been working on tactics for smoothing interactions between our contact professionals and their professional contacts who are experiencing mental / brain-based illness, operating under of influence of drugs / alcohol, and/or personal crisis in their lives.    We are going to examine the impact of homelessness on the communication process.  These interactions will be examined from the moral, safety, and financial perspective.

The plight of “persons experiencing homelessness have become a national issue.”   It is, first of all, a moral one is terms of assisting those persons less fortunate than us.  How we describe these persons has changed as well.   The persons should not be defined as “homeless” which describes their condition and tends to “dehumanize” their condition.  These are human beings experiencing a condition that is hopefully temporary and not a life-long sentence.   Therefore, we refer to them as “persons experiencing homelessness.”

It is also a safety issue for those contact personals such as police officers, correctional officers, security officers, fire and EMS personnel, medical & treatment personnel, and social services personnel who have to interact with these individuals on the street, in private & public buildings, and within various institutional settings.  The bottom line is that caution and respect need to be taken when approaching persons experiencing homelessness.”   Respect is a gold coin of rare value that should be used often.

Pablo Velazquez, a member of the Genesis Group and a VDI Instructor does a great job of explaining how to safely and effectively approach anyone, especially a “person experiencing homelessness”, in the video linked below.  These persons, like all people, develop a feeling of ownership of any location that they have taken up residence in whether that be a box under a bridge, a hallway, shelter behind a dumpster, public stairwell, seat on a bus, hospital room, or jail cell.   Letting you know you are there early by announcing yourself and treating them respect from the very first will help to maintain everyone’s safety.  Keep your distance, announce your approach, and seek permission to enter this person’s “living room.”  It is more respectful, safer, and likely to end up better for all parties involved.

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Finally, let’s examine the financial cost of not dealing with the national epidemic of “persons experiencing homelessness.”  The Radio Health Journal did a great program of the healthcare costs of not finding housing for the homeless.  You really do need to listen to this podcast.   The repetitive and long term cost of hospital emergency care for “person’s experiencing homelessness” can be cut to a fraction of the cost once housing along with stability is provided.

https://radiohealthjournal.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/18-12-segment-1-hospitals-and-housing/

Added to this, think about the amount of time and money that is spent by our Fire & EMS services, social services, and police on repeat calls for the same “persons experiencing homelessness.” Added to this is  the cost the police interaction times, short term correctional incarceration, and treatment commitment that is spent is a revolving door cycle without resolution.   Finding housing and stability for these “persons experiencing homelessness” could provide a cost-effective solution go this national issue.    The sad truth is that the Radio Health Journal radio program find that the average life span of “persons experiencing homeless” is drastically shortened to the late 40’s.   Homelessness must be addressed for moral, safety, and financial reasons.   Are we as contact professionals willing to support these changes?   Things can only get worse for them and us if this issue isn’t addressed.

In conflict management training, it is important to focus on attempting to understand the perspective of the persons that you are interacting. This is equally true of instructors trying to get their message out to multiple audiences. Verbal Defense & Influence audiences are diverse including not only the officers and other contact professionals that we train, their administrators, and the communities that they serve. Watch this video that features Gary Klugiewicz explaining why this training is important to all three audiences.

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Last week I spent 3 days at the Orthopedic Hospital of Wisconsin getting my left hip replacement replaced.  My hip had started squeaking a week prior to my operation.  Yes, squeaking that could be easily be heard by people near me.  The doctor told me that my hip was highly worn, had started squeaking, and needed to be replaced.  My hip that was first replaced 8 year ago had worn out.  I wonder how that happened.  Go tell.  I have to say that my operation was completely successful and my stay at the hospital was most enjoyable.  I would like to present a “shout out” the hospital’s staff for a job well done.   I loved the daily staff board pictured below that told you who would be your staff on this shift.  This helped the patient and staff to bond together by personalizing their contact.  Staff also introduced themselves from the doctors to the housekeeping staff.  This introduction answered several important questions for the patient that includes who are you, who do you represent, why are you here, and a relevant question.   This introduction help to set up pleasant and productive interactions.

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I would like to thank all of the hospital staff from the clerical staff that checked me in, to the doctors, nurses, and med techs who treated me, to the food service and housekeeping staff who took care of me.   I would like to present all of them a TREAT PEOPLE RIGHT Card that is pictured below.

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They certainly know how to treat their patients with dignity and show them respect utilizing the Five Maxims that are also posted below.

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One of the components of the Five Maxims that they performed best was the second component that states the you should explain why you are asking someone to do something.   Setting Context helps the person understand why they need to go with the program.  This was done verbally in their interactions with me and in signage like the sign posted below: QUIET PLEASE – Healing Zone.  Instead of tell the person to BE QUIET because I say so, the sign explains the reason why.  QUIET PLEASE – This is a healing zone where your loved ones and other people loved ones are healing and need quiet atmosphere to do so.  This sign gives a visual aid to keep the noise down that can be used to emphasize and explain why.  This is a powerful tool of explanation and persuasion.

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Again thanks to John, Jessica, Kamila, Susie, Chris, Katie, Betty, Jennifer, Beth, Dave, Glenda. Stephanie, Joan, Jamie, Caleb, and any other staff members that I have missed for making my stay so positive, supportive, and successful.

You truly know how to treat people right.

Hello,  This is Gary Klugiewicz.

Dave Young and I just finished facilitating a four day Verbal Defense & Influence Instructor Class at the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office located near Minneapolis, MN.  It was a very interesting class with lots of interaction with the instructors in the class.   Daniel Zeller, a security patrol lieutenant for Mall of America, brought up an interesting observation that he had made about how officers sometimes use persuasion during officer / citizen contacts.   In VDI training, we spend a great deal of time on the Persuasion Sequence that is a five step process for persuading a person to do what an officer is asking them to do.   Dan has seen this process sometimes circumvented so that it becomes a checklist that allows an officer to take action rather than a vehicle for de-escalation of conflict.   This problem goes way beyond public safety applications and impacts all contact professionals who have to deal with difficult persons.

Read on to see what this VDI Instructor has to say about this issue:

“In regards to the Persuasion Sequence when we are in contact with a subject and want them to do something, some officers may view it as merely a checklist or steps they need to follow in order to make an arrest. Rather than using the technique to generate voluntary compliance, cooperation, and collaboration, they fly through the options and confirming non-compliance because their department policy states that is what they are required to do prior to making an arrest under these circumstances. Although this does not occur with regularity, it can be assumed that it does occasionally happen.

With the newer officers they should be reminded that time is on our side. They should take the time to attempt to persuade the subject and not be so quick to throw on the handcuffs. It would be in our best interest to address it with our line officers and remind them that the Persuasion Sequence is there to do just that, persuade the subject to comply, rather than be taken into custody. We need to be in the guardian mindset and treat these people with dignity and respect.”

Thank you Lt. Zeller for this insight into the challenges of persuasion.   Tom Cline wrote an interesting article entitled “Are You a Helper or Hunter” in American Street Beat that can be accessed at  https://apbweb.com/are-you-a-helper-or-hunter/.  Are you functioning and using the persuasion sequence as a helper, i.e. protector or as a hunter, i.e., an enforcer?  While public safety officers and other contact professionals have to enforce laws, policies, and rules,  they must always remember that their primary function is that of a protector.   Remember that the purpose of the Persuasion Sequence is to generate voluntary compliance, cooperation, and compliance – not to be a vehicle to quickly take action.   By efficiently and effectively asking, explaining why, presenting options, and giving the person a second chance, you will have the best chance of persuading the person and not have to resort to taking action.

Please post your comments below.

Hello,

This is Gary Klugiewicz.

Check out the post that we found on the wall at a Roundy’s Supermarkets Loss Protection Workshop that Vistelar conducted last week in Madison, WI.  The poster says it all in terms of retail store customer services – especially when the contact deals with possible shoplifting incidents where conflict can become intense.

“Are you ready for your next customer?”

Vistelar is working with Roundy’s Supermarkets to develop a loss protection conflict management program that addresses the entire spectrum of human conflict.   The focus of this training program is to train loss protection staff in ways to non-escalate potential conflicts, de-escalate conflict situations, manage persons in crisis, and training staff in how to manage distance, positioning, and hand placement to keep everyone safe.

This program is being create in conjunction with Tony Sherman and Pablo Velasquez from the Genesis Group who have decades of loss protection expertise.  Vistelar is working with Roundy’s Supermarkets will develop a loss protection workshop that will be easily translated to all types retail stores.  Emphasis will be focused on threat assessment, how to make initial contacts, in store escorts, conflict management strategies while waiting for law enforcement to arrive, and turnover procedures.  Watch for future postings as this program is developed.

Hello.

This is Gary Klugiewicz.

I saw this electronic post a couple weeks ago and I have been thinking about it regularly.  I wanted to respond to it but didn’t know exactly how to do so.   The comment made by the chief in the original article linked below was that the comments were rude, not racist.   While he got the types of comments right being “rude” and “racist”, the “not” was not exactly right.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-fort-worth-kin-arrest-not-rude-racist-article-1.2924541

In our Verbal Defense & Influence training, we focus attention on the importance of the term “empathy” and our attempt to look at a situation through the other person’s eyes.  We refer to this as “Active Intelligence Gathering” and explain that, if you don’t know where the person is coming from  i.e., their perceptions, how can you know how to get them to assist you in taking them where you want them to go.

The trouble with being rude is that it is by itself unprofessional and counterproductive.   When your unprofessional behavior is viewed by someone who already believes that you may be a racist. then your rude behavior rapidly becomes what can be perceived as racist.  We spend a great deal of time in our training practicing the Universal Greeting, a professional introduction of “non-escalation” so we never start the slippery slide downhill from rudeness toward what can be perceived as racist behavior.   While we can’t change someone’s preconceived notions of us, we can do a lot to not escalate the negative atmosphere that often exists in a conflict situation.  Keeping the conversation professionally polite even when faced with an angry person will allow you to use “Active Intelligence Gathering” to find out what is causing the conflict. This will allow you the best chance of generating voluntary compliance, lead to cooperation, and even end up in collaboration.

Remember that you are not responsible for the bad decisions made by the person that you are interacting may make but you are responsible for the process.   You want to look good on camera, i.e. professional, where ever the situations ends up.

I look forward to your comments.  Please post them below.

Hello,  This is Gary Klugiewicz.  Dave Young and I are teaching a class next week at Access Services, a paratransit services company, located in El Monte, CA.   We will be training both law enforcement and transit professionals.  Watch for additional updates from the class.

I wanted to share this e-mail that I received that addressed the power of the SHOWTIME Mindset in preparing for and prevailing in stressful situations.  The fact that we are training transit professional next week provides a real tie in to this incident.   Cheryl Schattschneider, a Milwaukee area correctional officer, was assigned to drive her facility’s prisoner transportation bus and had to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL).  Posted below is the e-mail that she sent me telling me about her experience and the power of the SHOWTIME Mindset in successfully completing her task.

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Gary,

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you. Without even knowing it, you (and VDI, really) helped me to pass my CDL road test. Allow me to explain with a bit of a background story added.

Since I am a K9 handler and weapon certified officer at the House of Correction, I was required to obtain my commercial driver’s license (CDL). I literally procrastinated as long as possible on doing this, as I am a self-proclaimed horrible driver and had absolutely NO desire to drive a bus. Unfortunately the day came that my administration held me accountable and I was pushed to achieve this goal that was set for me.  I was given four days of driving training and experience with Milwaukee County Transit (MCT) on a city bus, and scheduled to take my road test (including a long and technical pre-trip inspection portion) on a cold and snowy December morning. Keep in mind now, I am not at all mechanically inclined and I was afraid to drive a huge bus in even nice weather. Needless to say, I arrived for my test more than just a little bit nervous.

As I arrived early to my appointment, I spent about 30 minutes nervously waiting to meet my examiner and head to the dreaded bus for my test. Then, due to technical difficulties with her computer, I got to be nervous for an extra 30 minutes or so before we were ready to begin. When it was finally time, the examiner looked at me and asked, “Ready?” I nervously replied, “I think so.” The next thing she said to me was, “Okay, SHOWTIME!”

It was amazing how that one simple word had so much power in that moment. I felt myself smile for the first time all morning, and instantly had a sense of calmness and focus. “Showtime”…. I am NOT a mechanically challenged bad driver that should move to a place where it never snows. “Showtime”…. I AM a highly skilled bus driver that knows exactly what I’m talking about when pointing out all of the different parts of the suspension, engine, and brake systems. “Showtime”…. I got this!

So, long story long – I passed. I actually performed better than I thought I would. Not perfect, but pretty darn good. I’m sure the training I received throughout the week played a large role in that. But I also am positive that “Showtime” was what helped me to pull it all together in that moment and succeed.  So, THANK YOU and the VDI team for providing such great training to Milwaukee County Transit that they are clearly utilizing to help train others.

Cheryl A. Schattschneider

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Cheryl,  Thank you for sharing your experience with us and reminding us that the SHOWTIME Mindset apply to all stressful situations.

Please provide your comments below to this post.

We would love to hear from you.  You can post your written or video post directly to me at http://vistelar.com/floodgate using the vistelar password.  I will review your posts and contact you with any questions.  Or, you an contact me directly at gklugiewicz@vistelar.com.  I look forward to your submissions.

Holiday Greetings to all of our readers.

As we celebrate the holidays with our families, let’s take a moment to think about those people who are less fortunate than us.   Take homeless persons as an example of people less fortunate than many of us.   Radio Health Journal recently did a program on the topic of Brain Based Injuries and Homelessness.  They discussed the possible factors that can lead to homelessness.   One of these factors was brain injuries.   We know that brain injuries can be a factor leading to Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) in our veterans.   We know that many veterans are homeless.   This audiotape discussion of the relationship between brain injuries and homelessness when coupled with plight of many of our veterans raise the possibility of an an interesting relationship between veterans and homelessness.   Listen to the audiotape and give us your comments.

https://radiohealthjournal.wordpress.com/2016/10/16/brain-injury-and-homelessness/#more-2825

Please do what you can do to support our homeless and our veterans in this time of holiday giving and remembrance.