ARRL Certification Program
Emergency Communications
Operator Stress

The best time to deal with stress is to learn coping mechanisms before responding to an event.  It includes:

1. Focusing on teamwork, strategy and results, and not on idle worry and concern -- which does nothing to help the situation.
2. Learning tolerance and patience during times of heightened demand and activity.
3. Learning that we are human and there are limits to our performance, both individually and corporately.
4. Learning the impact that diet, beverages and exercise can have on relieving stress and increase the capacity for coping.
5. Learning to get rest and taking breaks.

In the intensity of the situation, the person may be exposed to new life experiences.  A healthy person is able to withstand the emotional experience enough until the impact of the onset passes, then begin processing the experience and begin to accept the situation.  The members of the team should learn skills to improve the level of emotional maturity before engaging in stressful activity.
 

There are a number of simple, practical skills that can be learned that can be used in any interpersonal situation.  One of the most valuable ones is "Active Listening".  With active listening, you will be able to increase your listening ability as you gain the receptiveness of the other person.  By building bridges through effective listening skills, you can prevent situations from escalating unnecessarily.

One of the barriers to effective communication is leaving the other person with the feeling that you did not correctly understand his/her situation and message.  There are a number of ways this can occur unintentionally:
 

• The person's rate of talking is quick, and you speak slowly, or vice versa.
• The person's tone of voice does not match yours.
• The person is trying to communicate a point, you have not acknowledged it, and you're trying to communicate another point.

Active listening skills can be used to breakthrough the stalemate.  It is composed of:
 

• Giving the other person your full, undivided attention.
• Listening carefully at what the person is saying.
• Repeating back and paraphrasing to the person what you heard him/her say, in effect, acknowledging that you received the point.  You can acknowledge the person's feelings, or the content that the person is saying.  Phrases such as:

 

 

Feelings:

• "It must have been frustrating to have been there."
• "The heat must have been exhausting while trying to operate and maintain contact."
Content:
• "Let me see if I understand... You're saying...."
• "So you're saying that you believe ......"
• "If you're correct, then you think that...."
• If the person perceives you understand his/her feelings and the message, he/she will feel more comfortable with the situation and establish a better rapport.

First, establish a good bridge using the Active Listening method above.  This enables you to "come along side" the other person.

Next, establish a solid rapport by understanding the point (or points) that the other person is relating.  The other person may also be venting, so just keep listening and allowing the person to vent away the frustration and emotion.

When the emotional content has been diffused, slowly introduce the topic you wish to discuss.  Begin slowly, and have the other person become open to other observations or ideas.  One of the better ways is relating using the "Feel, Felt, Found" method.  You can use it to overcome objections to a given situation.  The conversational sequence is:
 

• I've heard others feel that ...... (express to the other person you understand how they feel and what's on their mind)
• Some others also felt that  ..... (express that other people felt that way too.  helps him/her to feel comfortable that others feel that way too.)
• They looked into it and found that ...... (it gives you a chance to relate what others found, and how it changed their minds).

The "feel, felt, found" technique establishes a common starting point, rooted in an emotion-based belief about the topic.  It then introduces the concept of a search and gives you an opportunity to relate the outcome of that search effort.  The other person can still question the validity of the outcome, but at least you had a meaningful way to present the observation or idea.

A suggested text for additional learning is "How To Deal With Difficult People" by authors Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner.

Steps To Consider before the incident
 

Living in an area that becomes a disaster area, it can be emotionally devastating to see a lifetime of effort destroyed in a matter of hours or minutes.  One needs to go through a period of grieving, and a time of healing before becoming productive.  As such, prepare to send in relief workers and communicators to unburden those affected by the disaster.

To help with the grieving process, allow the affected person to express emotion and memories while being an active listener.
 

Being a responder to an emergency, one is tasked with stabilizing the situation while the main body of rescue and relief workers are mobilized, often having to work with little in the way of people, equipment and supplies.

There are times being first on a scene that one is exposed to experiences that can be overwhelming.  At such times, be prepared to relieve the operator and allow him/her to meet with stress management and post-trauma personnel.
 

When the person is overcome with emotion, the best thing to do may be to let the person process the emotions and not say too much that would disrupt them.  Depending on the person's needs, they may want company during the time of difficulty and assurance that they won't have to face the difficulty alone.

To help with the grieving and coping process, allow the affected person to express emotion and memories while being an active listener.

Sometimes it might be appropriate to contact a relative or friend to take over the task of maintaining emotional contact.
 

Assign someone to check on the operators as they check-out before they leave an assignment.  This gives your team an opportunity to receive any field reports from the operator, to assess the operator's condition prior to releasing them to return home and to thank them for turning out.