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Communication during Crisis (CIC)

One-Day Course; 7 Contact Hours

Even in the best of circumstances, communication is difficult. Understanding
what people mean and responding so people understand is a constant challenge in “good communication.” Effective communication during critical moments requires skills in mitigating stress, building rapport, and compassionate responses. Listening to facts is much easier than listening to the emotions of a person during crisis. Responding to a cognitive question is much easier than responding to “Why?” During critical moments, impacted people need listeners who know how to apply the principles of psychological first aid and still respond compassionately. This training course will help you know what you must intentionally do to become a better, effective communicator during a critical situation when a person has been impacted by the event and is aroused – in distress. In crisis intervention, active listening is essential. However, an appropriate response is also necessary for the communication process. It requires both listening and responding in such a way that the impacted speaker feels compassionately heard and understood. In other words, the responder must learn to “listen with your heart.”

What you will learn:

  • How communication is impacted by crisis reactions
  • What communication needs exist during crisis
  • How people communicate when distressed
  • Principles of active listening
  • Ethics of Listening
  • Principles of compassionate responses
  • How to communicate with people who are fearful
  • How to communicate with people who are grieving
  • How to communicate with people who are difficult
  • What to say if someone is suicidal