Who is the Dealing with Aggression course suitable for?

The Dealing with Aggression course is suitable for anyone who encounters verbal or physical aggression at work. Think of care workers, social workers, police staff, bailiffs, employees of local authorities and other government bodies, and people working at a reception desk, helpdesk or customer service department. No prior knowledge is required; you start with an intake in which your own learning objectives are central.

Which topics are covered in the Dealing with Aggression course?

The Dealing with Aggression course covers three main themes: aggression and conflict (types of conflict, forms of aggression), dealing with aggressive behaviour (problem analysis, listening-summarising-asking further questions, assertiveness, setting boundaries, staying calm under criticism) and the organisational side (an open culture, buddy support, reporting incidents). You practise with situations from your own working practice and finish with an action plan for collegial support.

Do you receive a certificate after the Dealing with Aggression course?

Yes, on completing the Dealing with Aggression course you receive a certificate of participation from Learnit. To qualify, you attend both course days actively and take part in the practical exercises and reflection sessions. The certificate confirms that you have been trained in de-escalating conversation techniques, setting boundaries and dealing professionally with verbal and physical aggression.

What is the teaching method of the Dealing with Aggression course?

The Dealing with Aggression course is taught in a classroom setting, alternating between experiencing, practising behaviour, reflecting and exploring theory. You work with real situations from your own job, so that you immediately notice the effect of new behaviour. Beforehand you have an intake meeting in which you formulate your personal learning objectives. On that basis the trainer determines the final programme.

Can the Dealing with Aggression course be taken in-company or as a bespoke course?

Yes, the Dealing with Aggression course is available as an in-company course and as a bespoke programme. You always start with an individual intake interview in which you formulate your personal learning objectives. The final programme is determined on that basis, tailored to your profession, practical situations and prior knowledge. This way, the course matches exactly the threatening situations you encounter in your work.

How do I know whether the Dealing with Aggression course suits my situation, or whether I would be better off choosing another course?

This course suits you if you regularly have to deal with verbal or physical aggression in your work and want to strengthen your basic attitude and conversation skills. Think of care workers, support workers, bailiffs, reception staff and civil servants at organisations such as UWV, SVB or a local authority. The focus is on de-escalation through conversation techniques (listening, summarising, asking follow-up questions), self-knowledge and setting boundaries. If you work in an environment where physical restraint or arrest techniques are central, a specific resilience or physical intervention course is more appropriate. If you mainly want to learn to deal with difficult customers without aggression, a course on customer conversations is a better fit. Still in doubt? In the individual intake you determine together with the trainer whether your learning objectives fit within this course.

What will I learn in this course that I cannot get from a book or an online video about de-escalation?

The difference lies in practising with your own behaviour under pressure. You can indeed read up on the theory of aggression and de-escalation, but the Dealing with Aggression course is about experiencing, experimenting and reflecting in a classroom setting. You practise conversation techniques such as listening, summarising, asking follow-up questions and setting boundaries on situations from your own practice. A trainer and fellow participants give you direct feedback on your body language, timing and tone. You will not get that from a video. You also work on self-knowledge: you learn to recognise your own pitfalls and triggers, so that you can separate emotions from the situation. Following an intake, the programme is tailored to your profession and learning objectives. Self-study is useful as preparation; changing behaviour requires practice with real interaction.

What is the difference between this course and a physical resilience course or a self-defence course?

Learnit's Dealing with Aggression course focuses on de-escalating threatening situations through conversational skills, self-knowledge and a professional attitude. The focus is on verbal techniques such as listening, summarising, probing, setting boundaries and responding assertively. You learn how your response can prevent a situation from escalating. A physical resilience course or self-defence course, by contrast, focuses on physical techniques for the moment when aggression has already turned physical. This course does cover the physical and mental effects of aggression, but it does not teach you fighting techniques. If you work in a role in which physical confrontations occur regularly, this course is a good addition to a physical resilience course, not a replacement for it.

How quickly can I apply what I learn in this course in my work, and how long does the effect last?

You can try out the de-escalation techniques (listening, summarising, asking follow-up questions, setting boundaries, responding assertively) in your work straight after the first course day. There is deliberate space between day 1 and day 2 to practise in your daily work; on day 2 you reflect on those experiences and adjust your approach. For lasting behavioural change, repetition and conscious practice are needed. The course encourages ownership of your own development process, so that you continue to develop afterwards as well. Part of the course is an action plan for buddy support, allowing colleagues to keep supporting each other in the workplace. Compared with a one-off workshop, the effect is more lasting because you work with cases from your own practice and personal learning objectives from the intake.

What happens if, during the course, I notice that a specific situation from my work really affects me. Is there room for that?

Yes. The Dealing with Aggression course starts with an individual intake in which you put forward your personal learning objectives and situations from your own practice. The programme is determined on that basis. During the course, experiencing, experimenting, reflecting and theory alternate, and your own cases form the starting point for the exercises. This means that a situation that affects you can literally be discussed and practised. Explicit attention is paid to the physical and mental effects of aggression, to your own pitfalls and to separating emotions from the situation. At the end, you jointly draw up a plan for collegial support (buddy support), so that you are not left alone with what you experience in the workplace after the course either.

How does this course compare with an e-learning course or webinar on handling aggression. What does the classroom format add?

The Dealing with Aggression course is classroom-based. The difference with an e-learning course or webinar lies mainly in practising behaviour under pressure. In an e-learning course you are given theory about types of conflict, forms of aggression and conversation techniques such as listening, summarising and asking follow-up questions. What you do not get there: live practice with a trainer and fellow participants, immediate feedback on your body language and voice, and the experience of your own reaction when someone is standing in front of you. It is precisely that experience that determines whether techniques also work in a real situation. A webinar is suitable for building up knowledge beforehand; the classroom course is suitable if you want to change your basic attitude and reaction patterns. An intake interview takes place beforehand, so that the programme matches your working practice.

What does the Dealing with Aggression course cost and how long does it take?

You will find the current price at the top right of this course page, together with the schedule, location and delivery format. For in-company or bespoke courses we are happy to provide a quotation on request.

Dealing with Aggression course

Name: Dealing with aggression
Price: 1250.0 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 8.5 (31 reviews)

Angry customers, demonstrators or people behaving aggressively: in almost every profession you will encounter them. In this course you work on self-knowledge, conversation techniques and a professional basic attitude that enables you to de-escalate threatening situations.

Description

In Learnit's Dealing with Aggression course you learn how to stand your ground in the face of verbal and physical aggression at work. You work on a professional basic attitude that allows you to de-escalate threatening situations consciously, rather than being led by your emotions.

You gain insight into your own behaviour and pitfalls, and you learn to assess situations better on the basis of your profession, the context and your personality. You also practise various de-escalating conversation techniques, such as listening, summarising, asking follow-up questions, responding assertively and setting boundaries.

The course alternates between theory, practical exercises and reflection on your day-to-day working practice. Before the course you have an individual intake in which you formulate your personal learning objectives. On that basis we tailor the programme to your situation. We also pay attention to peer support (buddy support) and the importance of reporting incidents.

Topics

During the Dealing with Aggression course, the following topics are covered, among others:

About aggression and conflict

Different types of conflict
Different types of aggression, including verbal, physical and digital aggression
The physical and mental effects of aggression

Dealing with aggressive behaviour

Carrying out a problem analysis
Different views of the same conflict: facts or interpretations?
Conversation skills: listening, summarising and asking follow-up questions
Responding assertively and choosing the right timing
Preventing frustration
Solving problems
Setting boundaries
Dealing with criticism and staying calm
Taking on confrontations

The organisational side of aggression

Raising awareness and creating an open culture
Giving and receiving support from colleagues (buddy support)
The purpose and importance of reporting incidents

Result

After the Dealing with Aggression course, you will stand your ground more firmly in the face of verbal and physical aggression at work. You recognise different types of conflict and forms of aggression, and you know what causes underlie them. Think of conflicting interests or clashing interpretations.

You make a sharp analysis of the problem and consciously choose the right approach. You apply de-escalating conversation techniques, work in a solution-oriented way and know how to prevent frustration and set clear boundaries. In threatening situations you adopt an open, professional attitude.

You will also know your own pitfalls and be able to separate your emotions from the other person's behaviour. This allows you to stay calm under pressure and makes you less vulnerable. You know when it is time to call in help, and you recognise the importance of support from colleagues and buddy support after an incident.

Target audience

The Dealing with Aggression course is intended for anyone who wants to learn to de-escalate threatening situations, verbal and physical, with a professional basic attitude. Think of care workers, social workers, municipal officials and other government employees. Bailiffs, shop staff and people working on a helpdesk or in customer services also get a great deal out of this course.

Teaching method

In the Dealing with Aggression course we alternate between experiencing, experimenting with behaviour and techniques, reflecting and exploring theory. This dynamic means you immediately experience the effect of new behaviour. We continually invite you to reflect and to make connections with your day-to-day practice. In this way you gain more and more insight and become better at recognising which techniques work for you. That increases the chance of genuine behavioural change and helps you take ownership of your own development.

Prior knowledge

This course requires no specific prior knowledge. It is useful, however, if your work or daily life involves situations in which aggression may occur. That way you can get straight to work during the course with recognisable examples.

Comments

In-company

Would you like to organise this training for a whole group or several groups? This can be cost-effective. For example, we can tailor the content entirely to your organisation, and training a whole group is also cheaper.

Are you looking at large numbers of participants or a complete academy? That involves a great deal. Consider planning and communication, for example, or identifying and agreeing the objectives and content of the training. Or differences in level, feedback mechanisms and safeguarding. Fortunately, Learnit has extensive experience in this field (more than 25 years) and we are happy to help you through this process.

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Language

The training is given in Dutch as standard. The trainer has a good command of English. English-language course material can be used. With a minimum enrolment of 3 participants, the training can also be given entirely in English.

Number of days:

2 days

Course times:

from 10 am to 5 pm

Study load:

14 hours

Education level:

This training is suitable for all levels.

Exemptions:

Exemptions do not apply to this course.

Preparation time:

No preparation time applies to this course.

Certificate:

At the end of the course, a certificate is issued as proof of participation.

The best training for you

At Learnit you will always find a course that takes you further. From (technical) IT skills to communication or personal leadership. You can also choose the training format that suits you best: a classroom course, a tailor-made course at your own office, an online course or an e-learning. We have the right course and the right format for everyone. Because learning in the way that suits you best delivers the best results.

Moving forward together

Taking a training course at Learnit means learning together. Together with your experienced trainer, together with your course group or together with your colleagues. And whether you take the training at home, at your office or at one of our training locations, we are always available to help you. To share our knowledge with you in a way that is genuinely useful to you. Getting further together through personal attention and understanding each other well; that is what we believe in.

Apply it directly in your work

Learning theory from a book that you can then hardly use in your work? Not at Learnit! Whichever training you take with us, you can put it to use at your workplace straight away. Because of the unique learning objectives you set together with the trainer at the start of the training. Because of the alternation between theory and (interactive) practical assignments. And by bringing the challenges you face in your daily work along to the training.