Communication and Its Application
Communication is the first tool
Most guard encounters are resolved with words. Tactical communication means staying calm, lowering your voice, slowing your speech, and giving clear choices. Active listening-paraphrasing, asking open questions, acknowledging emotion-lowers defensiveness. The LEAP model (Listen, Empathize, Ask, Paraphrase) is a useful sequence for an angry person. Nonverbal signals matter: give space, stay at an angle, keep hands visible, and avoid crowding or touching without need.
Radio and written communication
Radio traffic should be brief and structured: who you are, where you are, what is happening, what you need. Use plain language; codes vary by employer. Speak across the microphone, not into it, and never transmit confidential information on an open channel unless policy allows.
Traps
Questions punish 'tell the person to calm down' (it often escalates), arguing, sarcasm, matching hostility, and overusing jargon. Another trap is treating communication as optional once force begins-commands must still be clear and lawful. Do not promise outcomes you cannot control.
Rule of thumb
Listen at least as much as you speak, and explain the 'why' in one sentence. 'I need you to move to the sidewalk so the entrance stays clear' works better than 'You can't stand there.'
Example: a customer shouts that he was overcharged. You listen, paraphrase ('You feel you were charged twice'), ask what he wants, and walk him to customer service rather than debating the register.