Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal Skills covers how you communicate with inmates, colleagues and the public under pressure. Most custodial incidents begin as a communication problem: a direction given badly, a misunderstanding, a loss of face. The exam rewards calm, clear and respectful communication that still achieves compliance.
Core techniques
- De-escalation comes before force. Lower your voice, slow your speech, keep an open posture, maintain a safe distance and avoid touching without need.
- Active listening. Reflect back what you heard ('So you're saying the visit was cancelled without notice'), ask open questions, and let the person finish.
- Explain the why. 'You need to return to your cell now because the muster is being conducted' works better than 'Because I said so'.
- Offer controlled choices. 'You can walk back now, or I can call the Unit Manager and we will walk back together' - both outcomes are the same, but the person keeps some agency.
- Check understanding. Repeat key information and ask the person to tell you what they understood, especially where language, hearing or cognitive barriers exist.
- Use interpreters and cultural support. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inmates may request an Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer; never use another inmate as an interpreter.
- Know your boundaries. Being respectful is not the same as being a friend.
Worked example
An inmate in the visits area becomes loud after being told his visitor is not on the approved list. He stands up and says, 'This is rubbish, you people are all the same.'
Best response: stay calm, lower your voice, acknowledge the frustration without conceding the decision ('I understand this is disappointing'), ask him to sit down, explain the approval process factually, and offer to have the matter reviewed after the visit. Call for assistance if he remains standing. Do not argue, do not match his volume, and do not promise an outcome you cannot control.
Traps
- Mirroring aggression or using sarcasm.
- Threatening a consequence you cannot or will not apply.
- Over-familiarity - sharing personal details or doing favours.
- Assuming a person who avoids eye contact is being dishonest.