Telephone Aggression, Managing - Online

This workshop is intended to provide staff with the knowledge and skills to effectively respond to telephone calls from service users where the potential for conflict exists. Such situations may include incidents where service users use abusive or aggressive language, or in extreme cases resort to threats.  The focus of the course will be on strategies to manage the call and the effective use of defusing and resolving techniques.

As a result of attending, participants will:

• Outline basic knowledge of key telephone etiquette
• List the main areas of telephone contact that increase caller aggression
• Explain how the fight/flight response operates in telecommunications
• Explain and give examples of triggers and inhibitors to aggression
• Describe a simple model of two way communication on the telephone
• List the common types of blocks to communication typical in telephone calls
• Demonstrate assertive techniques useful on difficult calls
• Outline the challenges for defusing conflict on the telephone
• Give examples of active listening techniques on the telephone
• Give examples of empathetic statements that can be used to defuse aggression
• Demonstrate an effective method of defusing conflict on the telephone
• Explain the four stages of the resolution model for telephone complaints
• Give examples of techniques for ending difficult calls
• Demonstrate effective techniques during a scenario for defusing conflcit on the telephone