Course Description:

A person on the railing of a bridge, a neighbor attacking his family, or a burglar who has locked himself in with your children in their room. You can end up in a situation like this by chance and be there before the police. Every word you say matters. Crisis Communication teaches you not to make the situation worse, to keep it calm and to buy time until the professionals arrive.

Crisis Communication is a two-day course for individuals. It is not negotiation training for tactical units, but about how to handle a tense situation you find yourself in on your own and unexpectedly. The goal is to calm the situation down, or at least keep it under control until the police and a professional negotiator arrive.

You spend the first day in the classroom. You will cover the principles of de-escalation and crisis communication, lots of practical advice and analysis of videos of real incidents, and try your first short scenarios. The second day is scenario after scenario: a person who wants to jump off a bridge or out of a window, someone who wants to hurt themselves or their family, or a burglar who has barricaded himself in a room with your children. Each time one of you negotiates and the others watch, listen and take notes, so you learn from every scenario, not just your own.

The course is led by a former member of URNA, the Czech police counter-terrorism unit, who among other things served as the chief coordinator and methodologist of Czech police negotiators.

We never have more than 8 students per instructor, so everyone gets to try several scenarios and we go over each one with you in detail.

Choose a date in the calendar below.

Who Is This Course For:

For anyone who may end up in a situation where they need to talk to a person in crisis: parents, teachers, healthcare workers, security personnel, police officers and anyone who wants to be prepared. You don't need any previous experience. Because of how demanding the scenarios are, the course is open only to participants over 18.

What You Will Learn:

After two days you know how to behave and speak in a crisis so that you don't make it worse. You can establish contact with a person in crisis, buy time and keep the situation stable until the police arrive. You know the basic principles of de-escalation and which phrases and mistakes to avoid. And you have worked through a series of scenarios that you either led yourself or watched and analyzed.

Contents:

Principles of crisis communication and de-escalation, the difference between crisis communication and police negotiation, establishing contact and active listening, buying time and stabilizing the situation, the most common mistakes, analysis of videos of real incidents, communicating with a person who is a danger to themselves, with a violent person and with an offender holding a hostage, handing the situation over to the police, scenarios with debriefs.

Required Equipment:

Day 1: writing materials. The training takes place in a heated classroom, so ordinary comfortable clothing is fine.

Day 2: writing materials, and clothing and footwear suited to the current weather and outdoor temperatures. The scenarios take place in an unheated training area.

Timing:

Class starts at 9:00 am. Please arrive at the venue no later than 8:30–8:45 am. The course usually ends around 6:00 pm, with a 30-minute lunch break during the day.

Venue:

We run our courses at various locations across the Czech Republic. You will find the exact venue for each date in the calendar, just click on the date. For multi-day courses that use more than one location, all venues are listed there.

Please check the venue carefully before booking. The same course often runs at different locations on different dates. Every now and then a student books a date expecting it to be at our home base, the Oleško shooting range, only to find out on the day that the course is taking place in Moravia, some 300 km away. To avoid this, always click on the date before booking and check where that particular date takes place.

Language:

Czech with English translation available. The lectures and theory are translated into English, and for English-speaking participants the scenarios are run directly in English.

Accommodation and Food:

Accommodation is not included in the course fee, each participant arranges and pays for it themselves. There is a 30-minute lunch break, so bring food that doesn't need cooking or ordering, such as an Adventure Menu type ration, an MRE or food from home, and enough to drink for the whole day.

Where to Go Next:

If a situation escalates into an attack, Active Shooter Civilian prepares you for how to act during an attack by an armed offender. Home Defense focuses on protecting your home and family, and we train decision-making about the use of force, from words through pepper spray to a firearm, at Self-defense Scenarios. And because injuries can happen even with the best communication, our one-day First Responder course is a good fit too.

Have a Question?

You will find answers to the most common questions in our Questions and Answers section. Didn't find what you were looking for? Write or call us using any of our contacts, we will be happy to help.

Got everything you need? Choose a date below and don't forget to check where your chosen date takes place.