Using Laughter to Handle Conflict
Instructor: Stephanie White, Technician, Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue
The fire service has slowly found its way away from laughter and camaraderie because of a fear of getting in trouble for saying the wrong thing. As it turns out, the latest research is saying that laughing with one another is what keeps us out of that trouble and makes us less likely to offend someone if/when we say the wrong thing. This class will discuss how to empower your firefighters and officers to establish functional humor boundaries with co-workers, have “courageous conversations” if lines are crossed, create an atmosphere of kitchen table accountability, and know when a dire line is crossed. A firehouse is a home where we live for 24-plus hours and rely on our teammates to perform and interact strongly with each other to save lives. Let’s change the culture of impracticality and create a culture of honest conversations and problem solving.
More: https://www.fdic.com/
