Steven L. Carter, USFDA Supervisory Investigator
I attended the Verbal Judo Course in Philadelphia and was highly impressed. Verbal Judo has provided some of the investigators under my leadership the communication skills that they have been lacking for such a long time. However, I do recognize this one thing…that like anything new and useful, you can’t get good at it unless you put it to use.
In my earlier years (I mean in my youth), I was a student of the martial arts and while in South East Asia on a military tour, I undertook learning ‘Lotus’, which is kin to Tae Quon Do. My instructor (who I only came to know as ‘Teacher’) imparted in me a wisdom that to this day I have never forgot. You see, as a youngster, I was so interested in moving past the exercises and into the heavy stuff, you know, like the important katas, that I almost omitted the most important lesson. You see, I wanted to be quick and agile, and move into the ‘big kata’ stuff like Bruce Lee, but then something happened. ‘Teacher’ pulled me aside and said these powerful words of wisdom which I have shared so many times with others and now impart to your reading audience.
Teacher said, “Practice execution, speed will come! Practice execution…speed will come.” And so today, as I reflect upon the lesson, the ‘katas’ of verbal judo, which were taught by you, I remember ‘Teacher’. The lesson of ‘Teacher’ still echoes in my mind. And so it is also true that we who undertake this lesson of verbal judo must now put it into practice.
We must practice executing what has been taught, otherwise, we would have missed a very valuable life lesson. The art of communication, like the art of martial defense does not come without effort. And, in the words of Og Mandino, “In all human affairs, there are efforts and there are results. And the strength of the effort is the measure of results. Gift, power, materials, intellectual, and spiritual gifts are the fruits of our labor. They are the thoughts completed, objects accomplished and visions realized.” And so I say to you, Mike Manley — the ‘Teacher’, thanks for the life lesson.
Scott Windham – University of North Texas Police Department
Thanks for making possible the Verbal Judo class. Having been to many trainings over the past 20 years I found this one to be one of, if not, the best.
The techniques Doc Thompson teaches are proven and will be invaluable to me and all of the UNT Officers. He was very articulate in his methods and how you can use these techniques to de-escalate the situation and increase your officer safety. He is indeed correct that minimum training is provided in verbal techniques. I am really glad to have won a copy of his book last night.
I just wanted to express my appreciation for the opportunity to attend.
Kenny Chetty, Manager: Public Safety, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
During August and September 2008, the Minimum Force Institute (MFI) conducted three 10-day Compliance & Control training courses for members of our department. The training presented by Mr. Don Gold covered various aspects of force, with a strong emphasis on Verbal Judo (also known as Tactical Communication) and designed to generate voluntary compliance.
An immediate result of the training was an improvement in the morale of our officers, who enjoyed the training immensely. However, from a public relations point of view, the long-term outcome has been most gratifying in that our department has experienced a decrease in complaints from the public of at least 90%, a testimony to the effectiveness of Verbal Judo.
It is our intention to arrange more of Mr. Gold’s training for our depatment in the future. We highly recommend Verbal Judo taining for all officials who interact with the public.
Pat Alcock Lefler, Government Manager – Deputy Director,
I have been working with Mr. Manley for the past 3 years on a Verbal Judo course that has been specifically designed for my government Agency. I have been and continue to be impressed with Mr. Manley and his ability to learn about our Agency prior to teaching the course.
As with many government agencies, ours is no different in our specific use of abbreviations and talk in code. Mr. Manley “learned the FDA” in order to teach the FDA and it has had a great impact on his teachings and on the students. It has made him a more effective and credible government contractor. I am often present on many of the trainings, as I provide the agency policy and answer necessary questions. Each time Mr. Manley gives his presentation, I learn something new.
Mike is passionate about his teachings and is an awesome instructor. He is well respected by our Agency personnel.
Sharon Benson, Human Resources, Tulsa, OK
My husband was a police officer for about seven years prior to retiring due to a back injury and during his time as an officer I was introduced to your book.
Being in the human resources profession, I felt your communication tactics were top notch!
Recently, Michael Manley came the company I work for, Newfield Exploration, and led two one day seminars for our staff. He was very well received and we purchased your books for everyone on our staff.
Thanks for making Verbal Judo available!
Kate Dill, Director of Adolescent Treatment Center, IL
My name is Katie Dill and I run an adolescent treatment center. Verbal Judo has helped to sculpt a safe, secure, and consistent environment for my clients, their families, and my staff.
Since implementing Verbal Judo into our everyday work environment my clients and staff are safer, calmer, and able to focus on their individual treatment plans, rather then be distracted by problems that occur simply by people untrained in professional communication. The staff is expected to pay attention to their tone, non-verbals, and content when they talk to the clients, their families, but also to each other. In a treatment environment you want to give choice back to the individual and their families, Verbal Judo does exactly that, gives the choice back to the individual.
Bob “Coach” Lindsey, Retired Colonel, Jefferson Parish, Lousiana Sheriff’s Office
Most officers spend about 90 % of their time listening and talking to people. Verbal Judo empowers officers to listen effectively and to speak professionally. It is easily learned and can be used and performed by all officers regardless of age, gender, status, or experience.
Verbal Judo stands out as something officers use most often during their tour of duty and throughout their career. It has withstood the test of time and empowers officers to perform their duty professionally and safely.
Joel Lashley, Behavior Challenges Trainer, Children’s Hospital, Milwaukee, WI
At Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, we’ve adapted the principles of Verbal Judo to help us manage children and parents under stress, many of whom are experiencing the greatest challenges of their lives. By building a practical understanding of communication, through an easy to learn and apply lexicon of psychomotor skills that include patterns of speech and body movement–all of which are founded on SAFER, 8 and 5 and the nonverbal concepts of Verbal Judo, we’ve applied and when necessary we’ve adapted, interactive models to communicate with patients, families and employees inside the challenging clinical environment. We teach and practice VJ communications skills to communicate successfully with anxious children and parents, children with cognitive and developmental disabilities, brain injuries, psychiatric conditions, and patients in high levels of crisis.
One of Verbal Judo’s many strengths is that it begins before the point where clients under stress are triggered into crisis. This is the first great failing of all the other systems I’ve studied. The second failing that VJ addresses and masters is what to do when we need to communicate with people who are actively resisting or in very dangerous states of crisis. VJ takes the practitioner past the point where most crisis intervention systems become exhausted. When violence is imminent or when we actually experience high-levels of violence, the other systems always seem to leave you wanting for what to say or do.
The final point where VJ reigns supreme is its systemic applicability. Just like an effective and practical martial art, VJ is founded on basic and adaptable concepts that when learned and practiced can be applied across the continuum of human behavior. You won’t need to master one concept, then another, then another and another ad infinitum until you reach some lofty goal of competency. Learn these basics then learn how your clients communicate based on their particular challenges, e.g., autism spectrum disorders, and you’ll be able to communicate with anyone and manage their levels of stress and crisis. VJ teaches practical communications skills not just concepts. Speech is a psychomotor skill and managing people in crisis is not an intellectual or conversational exercise. You’ll learn what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and when not to say it. No other system does that.
Having personally made a study of the top crisis intervention systems, even training as an instructor for some of them and using them in the field, I can honestly say that Verbal Judo provides the best foundation for communicating with patients and clients in the clinical environment. Presently, I teach Verbal Judo to clinical and nursing staff, social workers, psychiatric professionals, allied health and customer service professionals, educators and trainers, law enforcement and healthcare security staff, and hospital administrators and supervisors. As the success stories roll in throughout our 5,000 employee system, demand for training is ever increasing and we are training more instructors to meet the demand.
James G. Smith, Retired Detective, Milwaukee Police Department
From the first day back on the street after completing my Verbal Judo Instructor course it has served me, my agency and my family quite well. I cannot imagine doing on-street police work without it. If you have doubts, please put them aside and take the plunge.
I am currently in an international mission as an investigator of war crimes. Upon arrival I was posted in full uniform and worked with other officers from over 30 other countries. This is when you reach into your skill set bag and pull out everything that works. Guess what? Verbal Judo works! If you want to understand the “Art of Representation” wearing an American police uniform here is a great object lesson in this art.
When the mission changed several months ago my assignment became plain clothes. So now VJ helps again with “Other Non-Verbals” (ONV). This is a great asset for a detective in comprehending all the other messages that are coming out of a subject besides the words. VJ techniques are exactly what is needed.
I might add that your skill at communicating with your family, friends and loved ones will also IMPROVE, certainly a pleasant benefit to completing this course.