Make some noise!

One of the cleaver tips included in the Provent course that has really assist many participants to manage tricky situations has been the session focusing on the practice of physical management strategies. Interestingly one of the most impactful strategies we are taught is the use of sound to create a stimulus change to distract, startle or redirect a person. This is not a ‘new’ technique and has been common to many disciplines of marshal arts. We learn that the use of loud quick noises (often most impactful are the use of vowels.. A E I O U), even without meaning can create that break in the escalation of an incident that will support a change or redirection. This sounds easy BUT it requires practice, and for many working in the sector, permission. Shouting and making a big noise is essentially foreign behavior in our workplaces; but importantly this is what makes it so effective in interrupting an incident to support us gaining control and safety.