Does Conflict affect the way we live… …Of Course it does!
Does Conflict affect the way we live… …Of Course it does!
A significant number of people will say that nothing triggers them and that they have the ‘patience of a Saint’! Well in fact admitting that small things set of a trigger in us that causes us to verbally or physically react to something is either personally embarrassing to admit to, or creates a feeling of ‘letting your guard down’ as reacting to something is always an emotional action.
Where does all this increase in Conflict in our lives generate from, as we didn’t seem to notice it when we were all younger? Well, it can be put down to a number of factors starting with your – upbringing, through to your Education and then your job. The days of saying a simple hello in the street to a stranger is fading and even the trend to help a stranger with a problem is again another fading trend, so are we all to busy within our own personal or professional lives to care or understand why we are more cautious to communicate with each other. Many people within different occupations have said that simple human reactions such as active eye contact, clear communication through plain English and even the shaking of hands is depleting every year.
Whenever we hear the term Conflict it flash’s images through our minds of Wars, Fighting and Violent Situations, therefore we take the view that we don’t need to learn, understand or train in these areas as we don’t have to deal with a Bomb, Murder or Disaster. This results in us taking a different approach to the subject and root cause of Conflict.
Who does it affect… …well it can affect us all from dealing with a disgruntled person on the telephone, to a meeting within the workplace. In addition to this it is important to consider the lone worker who is out of the office environment alone and fending for them-selves and who may not have the required knowledge to recognise or act accordingly when faced with an aggressive or threatening situation. It is a proven fact through statistic’s released by both private and governmental research that the up rise of verbal and physical abuse has risen steadily over the years, but also the prevention through active training and more realistic Scenario training by qualified and accredited organisations has proven to be a success, as Managers and staff have recognised potential threats and been able to act accordingly to prevent escalation and damage to property and staff being unable to work due to stress or injury.
When the levels of verbal abuse escalate beyond that point of rational thought and the aggressive person physically attacks you it can have a devastating affect on some individuals and the feeling of helplessness can also mentally scar the person for months, years or even permanently. So what else do mangers or employees do when they have staff, or indeed them-selves are faced with a potentially dangerous situation?
In the past we have seen all sorts of Self Defence techniques and skills that can help us protect ourselves and our staff, but this has also been over shadowed by the fact that these skills can also inflict permanent harm to someone if not used properly. So what is the answer to the problem of Physical Intervention?
New skills and methods are always looked down on and not always taken seriously as everyone believes that when Physical Intervention is used, that a degree of pain should be involved. Well that is a myth and should never be taken seriously as there are new methods of Physical Intervention that have been both medically and legally proven and are being used now by a wide sector of industries, such as education, health care and security.
So when you are faced with the question – am I or my staff prepared for that chance in a million that may result in a situation of verbal or physical abuse resulting in stress or injury? Please take a step back and think that prevention is better than the cure and there are organisations that are proven and capable or helping you and your staff to be prepared.
Blog by Will Holland