How to Quickly De-Escalate an Angry Situation with Douglas Noll

Consider what it would be like trying to have a productive conversation with an angry inmate serving a life sentence at a maximum-security prison. Life-threatening at worst; unpleasant at best. But today's special guest Douglas E. Noll has been in exactly that situation, as well as many more high-tension confrontations, and has deduced precisely how to bring that conversation back in line respectfully and productively in under two minutes. If he can do it with prison inmates, imagine how well this might work with upset spouses, unresponsive teenagers, unhappy clients, or even road-raging drivers? 

In Noll's book, De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less, he shares how to defuse conflicts quickly by focusing on the emotions of the angry person rather than the words being said (or screamed). In this way, habitual responses of anger and frustration are circumvented and cooler heads will likely prevail.

Noll, who holds both a JD and an MA, left a successful career as a lawyer to become a peacemaker. He is an award-winning author, teacher, trainer, highly experienced mediator, and co-founder of the Prison of Peace project. This has been the most profound peace training Douglas has conducted thus far in his career. Inmates who have gone through his program have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. To learn more about Douglas, visit www.DouglasNoll.com.