It’s important to be ready to respond to unexpected, uncomfortable, or urgent situations during an event. While these moments may be unpredictable, being equipped with resources and processes can help facilitators and team members tend to crises so that the safety, well-being, and care of involved individuals as well as all participants are prioritized.

You will reference and rely on the protocols, resources, point persons, and values that you’ve prepared for in the Pre-Event stage. Here are some additional resources for how to respond to crises:

De-escalation

De-escalation can have different goals, such as ensuring safety, reducing violence, aiming for understanding, and modeling healthy conflict engagement. As every situation is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all formula for dealing with conflict, it is important to be flexible and responsive to the situation and people involved. Thinking through different possible scenarios and responses can help prepare facilitators to be responsive when de-escalation moments emerge. 

• Stay Calm – avoid panicking or reacting immediately. Give yourself space and draw on practices to remain centered and present, such as breathing and/or counting. Take a moment to notice how you’re feeling and be aware of yourself.
• Assess – gauge the dynamics of the situation and the group context you’re in. Note who is agitated and possible underlying or systemic implications of identities, triggers, cultural factors, etc. Assess what would support the well-being of the group and the individuals involved. Remember that as a facilitator, you are not responsible for a “solution” to the situation. Rather, you are helping cultivate a container in which the group can work out what is needed together.
• Facilitate – try to maintain a conversation and open communication. Be direct and honest with participants in caring and respectful ways. Trust your instincts on how to constructively respond to agitated person/s. Interventions may include: acknowledging the sharer’s feelings/experiences, reiterating the code of conduct, politely asking someone to leave the space, and checking in with the group, among others.
• Prioritize Safety – if de-escalation techniques aren’t working and the situation feels violent or potentially harmful, it is ok to “walk away” by asking specific individuals to leave or to tell the group that the event will pause or stop (and possibly resume another time). You or any of the participants should not feel forced to stay in a space that feels threatening or harmful.

Sources:

• Training for Change
• Family Justice Center
• De-escalation and Grounding Skills For Activists, Revolutionaries, and Everyone!
• Support Group Facilitation Guide (Mental Health America)

Practices

These are simple and accessible practices to help diffuse and ground participants when tensions or conflicts arise. Take a moment to give space for people to express themselves and/or to attend to themselves, and their bodies.

• Belly breathing
• Body scan meditation
• Tool: Feelings wheel – a helpful visual for naming emotions if participants are struggling to communicate their experience