Date: November 15, 2019
Presenter: Sgt. James E. Terry, Maui County Police Department
Topic: VERBAL JUDO — Verbal self-defense, also known as verbal judo, is defined as using words to prevent, de-escalate or end an attempted assault. It is a way of using words to maintain mental and emotional safety.
This kind of “conflict management” involves using posture and body language, tone of voice, and choice of words as a means for calming a potentially volatile situation before it can manifest into physical violence. This often involves techniques such as taking a time-out deflecting the conversation to less argumentative topics, and/or redirecting the conversation to other individuals in the group who are less passionately involved.
