Verbal De-Escalation And Conflict Resolution

Posted: March 28, 2023

Verbal De-Escalation And Conflict Resolution

Aside from interests and physical activity reasons, a lot of people across the country choose to go to martial arts sessions so they can learn basic self-defence. And while the physical techniques of self-defence are important, it’s also crucial to have a strong mind – self-defence is very 50/50. A split between physical and mental ability.

One of the best self-defence tools you could ever have is verbal de-escalation, especially when it comes to resolving conflicts.

Avoiding Physical Self Defence When Necessary

Of course, one of the more attractive qualities of learning a martial art is the knowledge of defence that comes with it. Unfortunately, learning a martial art doesn’t automatically mean you’ll never get attacked. Just as it doesn’t mean you’ll always be able to efficiently defend yourself.

Regardless of your level, being surrounded by more than one person is dangerous to your safety and if you’ve never experienced it before, you can never predict how your body will react. The fight or flight response can be very, no-pun intended, flighty. Maybe you’ll feel invincible, maybe you’ll be blinded by panic.

Honestly, one of the best things to take up for self-defence is running.

That’s why learning de-escalation and conflict resolution strategies is so significantly helpful and why it’s often a primary focus.

What Is Verbal De-Escalation?

Verbal de-escalation can be defined as communication techniques that are both verbal and non-verbal most likely to defuse tense situations. It is defusing hostility and avoiding physical aggression when the safety of an individual is not compromised.

De-escalation techniques usually assist the person communicating in maintaining a level-headed, calm composure when confronted with verbal abuse and hostility.

Verbal De-Escalation Techniques

In any type of self-defence situation, de-escalation should really be your first go-to. As satisfying as it may be to turn around and drop-kick somebody, that’s a hard pass. Always go for a peaceful route first to avoid anything unnecessary. There’s no point cramping up your muscles if you can avoid it!

The goal of de-escalation is to avoid physical confrontation so everything you do has to show this.

Body language and actual verbal language plays a massive part here. Organise your thinking so that you can respond calmly – calming body language and boundary setting will help you defuse a tense situation, leading to a successful outcome.

Assertive Calmness

Though it sounds silly to have one of the techniques as remaining calm, it’s the most important part of de-escalation. If you respond negatively to the aggressor, they’ll just become even more irate at you and it could actually escalate the situation instead.

However, remaining calm does not mean you have to be passive. When asking the other person questions or telling them you will be leaving, you should get the message across assertively. They know that even though you’re remaining peaceful, you mean what you say with confidence.

Active Listening

Show them that you’re actively listening to what they’re saying through your responses and body language. Nod along at points or ask open-ended questions and paraphrase what they’ve said. It shows them that you actually understood their frustrations and what they told you.

Knowing that you’ve actually understood their frustrations can help de-escalate the situation as they feel they’ve said what they needed.

Suspend Judgement

During situations of conflict, empathy needs to be shown regardless of whether you agree with their position. Everyone has a right to feel a certain way and whether you take certain stances of theirs to be wrong or not, it’s important to express an understanding of their side.

Considering why they feel a specific way will help you to resolve the conflict faster and more efficiently. Pay attention and show respect for their feelings, don’t make a quick judgement in the moment. Work through the process with a suspended judgement to successfully work through the conflict.

What Is Conflict Resolution?

Conflict is natural and most people are likely to encounter it. Whether they engage or not is different.

Conflict resolution is a way for two or more parties to find a peaceful solution to a disagreement. It doesn’t have to be a personal disagreement, it could be emotional, financial, or even political. But when a conflict does occur, it’s often best to negotiate a way to resolve the disagreement peacefully.

We encounter many opportunities at negotiation in our everyday lives – between friends, family, co-workers. So even if you don’t realise it, you’ve more than likely built up quite an effect strategy for resolving conflicts, even if they were just minor. For the more serious ones, however, there may be additional skills that you need.

Resolving Conflict

Understand the Disagreement

There’s a whole list of why a disagreement may arise. Defining your own stance and understanding the other person’s can help you understand how the disagreement has occurred and how to move forward.

Communication

Without communication, there would be no negotiation. You’ve considered both your opinions and theirs, now you need to communicate them.

Listen to their opinions because that’s usually the origin of the conflict – your opinion against theirs. Sometimes it’s not quite as black and white as this but you should show you’re listening and understanding them.

Ways to Resolve

You know both parties’ interests and have communicated about them, the next step is to think of the best ways to resolve the matter. This could be done by looking for common interests within the disagreement or by picking out a shared value such as peace or respect.

From there you can choose the resolution you think will work best and discuss it with the person you’re negotiating with.

Self Defence Classes in Surrey

Here at Ellis Academy, located in Surrey, our main focus is self-defence. We want people to feel comfortable no matter where they are.

The programmes we offer are centred around Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu with simple basic and instinctual motions. Our self-defence programmes are intended to be taught in the shortest time possible whilst still efficiently teaching. It is built for real-life scenarios.

All the instructors at Ellis have had professional training in martial arts and are completely qualified. Additionally, every one of them is a certified black belt.

We make every effort to maintain a spotless facility where we can offer a whole range of programmes for people of all ages. To learn more about our self-defence training plus the practical advantages of mastering the technique, just get in touch with us.

If you want more details, guidance, or any tips, check out our blog page.