Inter-personal Skills

[Mr. Chaple]

A large part of security work involves getting people to do/stop doing/not do certain things e.g. rule, policy, and procedure enforcement. The bulk of that part of the job is already done for us, by society and the education system. People by and large follow the rules. Even lifestyle criminals follow most of the rules, most of the time. Part of the job is done by the consequences of not following the rules. However, relying on the consequences of breaking the rules causes a lot, and I do mean a lot, of needless conflict.
There are, also, situations where the people/person we are dealing with is not worried about the consequences. Either they are too immature to see past the immediate situation, they are too wrapped up in their own drama to see the where it is taking them, they are too proud to back down, or the consequences hold no weight for them (like threatening a homeless person with a night in jail, or threatening to bar a one-time visitor).
It is sad to admit, but many of us work in situations where there are no consequences. The company or client is unwilling to trust there security personnel with the authority to enforce the rules they laid down. There are also people who, because of their position, feel that they are above the rules. If he/she is not willing to abide by his/her own rules, it is unlikely that a member of upper management will be concerned with a disciplinary report from a guard.
These gaps must be filled by your personal authority, or your ability to convince/manipulate people. While many people believe that the skills associated with inter-personal relation are strictly innate, I believe that they can be learned. In fact I have spent a great deal of time studying how people interact, and there are plenty or resources out there. Although most are not worth the paper they are printed on.
I do not, however, have the first clue on how to teach these skills to people. Giving them the raw information on how humans interact, and advice on how to deal with people is one thing. But how do you develop these skills. Outside of trial and error, (how I did it) there must be a way to hone this knack.
What have you used in the past to help out your less socially adept employees become better at dealing with the public?

[jmaccauley]

Professional communication skills begin with learning to speak TO people and not AT them. the basic premise of Verbal Judo (whether you subscribe to it completely or not) is to offer options. We are always negotiating with people and it's no different when we are in an authoritative position. Finding a solution is not that difficult if the other side is also looking for a solution. And most are looking to save face, if nothing else.

It all comes down to staying professional and not taking anything personally.

[ScottFree]

I have found that simple interaction is the best way to train people. I have had several training scenarios used that stuck in my mind, and i use them to this day to assist in the training of officers

One was to give them the old NASA stuck on the moon sheet ( i have a copy if you would like one PM me) which gives you the situation you are stuck on the moon with 15 items, and you have to make a rendezvous with the main craft 200 miles away.Your team must prioritize and number the items in order of importance.

Another was to use a KIM test, and have each team (2 or 3 person) see who can recall the most objects in their proper place

Any exercise that forces people to work together towards a common goal makes an officer learn how to deal with people

There are various other ones that you can do individually, but for any of them to be effective, there has to be a reward of some type (achievement is not always enough).

Exercises that mimic real situations and require an officer to respond and react are always the most effective, and can often be simple to design