OVERVIEW:
The concept of Verbal Judo(TM) was created by Dr. George Thompson over 40 years ago, and it is the basis for his bestselling book, Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion. Thompson and his instructors have taught this communication and de-escalation approach to over one million people around the world.
The function of this session is to give library leaders and staff at all levels the tools to improve employee safety; enhance professionalism; decrease complaints; minimize liability; improve service and communication outcomes, increase staff morale; and lessen both staff and patron stress.
Verbal Judo(TM) can help by being an effective program to de-escalate and persuade patrons into voluntary compliance. The goal is to leave people better than if we found them, even if we saw them at their worst.
This training can help keep all library staff safe, provide the tools they need to be successful communicators and prevent burnout. This session can also help internal communications and interactions between teams.
LEARNING AGENDA:
- Learn to control your emotions in difficult service situations with patrons.
- Apply proven techniques to calm challenging patrons and those not of clear, rational mind, but needing help.
- Learn the key ingredients to persuade patrons to change their behavior.
- How to read patrons, identify what motivates them, and use that for long-lasting compliance.
This 60-minute overview session on how to respond step-by-step to service situations in the library is another in our “Essential Librarian Series,” designed to be shown to new staff and leaders and to provide a refresher for all who work in the library. The presentation slides will be available to all who participate.
About the Speaker
DR. STEVE ALBRECHT. Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, and security. His programs are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can be put to use immediately in the library workspace with all types of patrons. In 2015, the ALA published his book, Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities. His new book, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, was just published by Rowman & Littlefield. Steve holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.A. in English, and a B.S. in Psychology. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment. He has written 25 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives in Springfield, Missouri, with six dogs and two cats. More on The Safe Library at thesafelibrary.com. Follow on X (Twitter) at @thesafelibrary and on YouTube @thesafelibrary. Dr. Albrecht’s professional website is drstevealbrecht.com.
