Presentation Description: Compassion and empathy can mean the difference between an agreeable 9â€1â€1 caller and a difficult one. Truly, our words, demeanor, and attitude all impact the direction and outcome of every call that we take. As ECOs our greatest strengths are our communication skills and our ability to make those necessary human connections in order to bridge the gaps between us and the citizens we are called to serve. This session will examine what's expected of us by our 911 callers, what they need from us when they call, and how we can strive to be more proactive and compassionate listeners. It's all about remembering "the Golden Rule" and restoring kindness to the forefront of all that we do in this profession!
Learning Objectives:
To emphasize the importance and necessity of keeping kindness and empathy at the center of all you do as an emergency telecommunicator. How we speak to our callers matters; our tone of voice, what we say and how we say it to them can impact the whole nature of the call. Every caller really just wants to be heard, and feel that their call matters.
As emergency telecommunicators we must stop expecting US from our callers.. they are not trained professionals, nor did they go to classes to learn how to remain calm and composed under pressure. They are simply not US: we are trained for that. Therefore, we should expect them to be hysterical, dramatic, and angry in the middle of a crisis. It is our job to be the calm to their crazy.
We might be the first kind voice that person has heard in weeks, months, years. Let us be the reason that citizen has a good day. WE can be the difference between an individual choosing to end it all or deciding that maybe there is hope and a reason to choose to live another day. We can determine to help every single 911 or admin caller in whatever way we possibly can, and resolve to not be the reason they might lose trust in public safety.