Working with Angry and Aggressive Customers 2025

Description

Join our webinar to learn practical techniques for defusing aggressive behaviour and ensuring safety during challenging interactions, with a focus on understanding the body's response to anger and effective de-escalation strategies.

Since the pandemic, more and more people are getting angry and upset. Across New Zealand more businesses are reporting an alarming increase in challenging and aggressive interactions with staff, customers, or the general public. Aggressive and violent behaviour can be very confronting and a significant challenge to manage.

This webinar will look at what happens to our bodies when we become upset, angry or aggressive. When people become upset, the thinking part of the brain does not work, so trying to use reason and logic to deescalate someone does not work. This webinar will cover practical examples of techniques you can use to effectively defuse a tense situation. This webinar will also look at safety planning and emergency procedures if you are unable to calm the person.

Employers have a legal obligation under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 to ensure their staff are safe from verbal and physical abuse. Therefore, it is vital that workplaces take evidence-based steps to address this.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

You will learn a wide variety of different de-escalation techniques and strategies. 

  • What are some of the key reasons why people become angry, upset and violent? 
  • What is an acceptable level of frustration and what is unacceptable anger? 
  • How to manage anger and frustration on the phone. 
  • How should you manage threats of physical violence? 
  • Understand what you can manage yourself and when do you need to call the police. (Such as if a customer is in a drug induced state) 
  • How can you support staff after an upsetting interaction? 
  • What are your rights when it comes to self-defence? 

SUITED TO

Everyone! This is suited to all businesses from accountants, lawyers, HR, teachers, construction, government workers, charities and many more. 

PRESENTER

Michael Hempseed, Director, www.beingatruehero.com 

Michael Hempseed is the author of Being A True Hero: Understanding and Preventing Suicide in Your Community. The book is being used by the New Zealand Police, Fire and Emergency NZ, GPs, Counsellors as well as many parents and teachers. He has trained everyone from army medics to social workers to health and safety companies. Michael gained an honours degree in Psychology from the University of Canterbury in 2008. In 2016 he spoke at TEDx.

1.5 CPD Hours

  • Jun 10
    • $215.00 excl. GST
    Tue, 10:30 AM NZST - Tue, 12:00 PM NZST Online
    • $215.00 excl. GST

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One-connection-one-fee

Our webinars operate on a 'one-connection-one-fee' basis so you can have your whole team participate for one cost effective price and claim CPD points.

Recordings

All registrants to a live webinar will automatically be sent a recording at the end of that week along with a full transcript of the webinar, regardless of whether you attended or not.

Sole practitioners

A discount on webinars is available for sole practitioners. Please contact us at NZ‑learning@wolterskluwer.com to confirm eligibility.