Just under 200 service rig hands attended. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
The Independent Well Servicing Safety Stand Down returned on Tuesday, Jan. 10, after going on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was the sixth time the event has taken place, according to Brian Crossman, one of the partners in IWS.
Brian Crossman. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
“We want to help in some small way to make our industry safer,” Crossman told the crowd in his role as master of ceremonies. “Our goal here today is that each and every one of you in this room today can go back to work your personal lives at home and make a difference. Use the information here to make a positive impact on the lives of your co workers, your company, your family, your friends, but most importantly, you, that’s where it starts.”
The event is done each year in co-operation with Crescent Point Energy Corp., which shuts down all its service rigs for an afternoon so their field staff can attend. This time the number was just shy of 200 people filling the auditorium at Southeast College’s Estevan campus.
Gary McDougall. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
Gary McDougall of Conflict Solutions was the motivational speaker this time out. McDougall was a Calgary police officer for 25 years, including stints on the SWAT team and as a hostage negotiator. He retired as a staff sergeant.
McDougall’s message focused on conflict de-escalation, in particular, choosing your words to reduce conflict.
He noted that being “positional” often does not work out well. It’s important to ask why – what is driving this?
McDougall said, “What’s really important to them? What’s really important to them, and their big value, big value in us having interest based conversation, the value in us getting away from a positional conversation.”
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Understanding a person’s motivations can often be a turning point, he noted.
Tone is another key factor in conversations, he noted, using several examples of the same sentence, showing how tone can imply many meanings.
“It’s not what they said, it’s how they said it,” he noted.
Important tools are asking “Why not?” as opposed to “why?”, as well as “What else?”
Gary McDougall talking about de-escalating conflict Photo by Brian Zinchuk
The one emotion that gets people into trouble the most is anger, he pointed out. It inhibits one’s ability and willingness to listen. But it’s also the most misunderstood and overused emotion. It often arises from disappointment, frustration and embarrassment. Anger is simply easier to express.
Validating other side’s opinions by saying “I see your point” can often be used to defuse a situation. The opposite of that is using the term “but,” as that’s often the “big eraser,” preceding a negative message. McDougall suggested using “and” in place of “but.”
There’s also some words to simply avoid, as they often infuriate the other party. Telling them to “chill out,” “calm down,” “take a pill,” “let it go,” or asking what’s their problem?” are sure-fire ways to escalate the situation.
A more effective strategy is to paraphrase back their message in words that validate what they said.
Gary McDougall. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
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