Fire and emergency supervisors and managers are often thought of as over-authoritarian and uncaring, with a “just the facts” mentality. Not true, according to these authors. And, in this new resource, they present a set of skills that will allow you to demonstrate your social intelligence and enable you to manage people effectively and with decency.

Social Intelligence Skills for Fire and Emergency Services Supervisors/Managers is based on over 30 years of experience and research in fire and emergency settings. You’ll learn how rank, title, knowledge of crisis management, and mastery of strategy and tactics do not equate to effective leadership. The ability to influence without authority does. And that’s why social intelligence skills are so important.

The book is organised into three sections packed with techniques, examples and practical exercises.

Section 1 introduces basic “sizing up” skills which help you recognise what’s going on regardless of the circumstances and are fundamental to everything you do at work. You’ll learn how to:

Arrange a distraction-free, pleasant environment.
Position yourself to see and hear the person you manage.
Posture or stand/sit erectly to show strength and confidence.
Observe behaviour, appearances and your environment and determine if things are stressful or not stressful and if there is a trouble or no trouble situation.
Listen by suspending your own judgment.

Section II considers the add-on skills you need to communicate effectively. You’ll learn how to:

Ask relevant questions, reflect on the answers and recycle.
Respond to people - to both their content and feelings.

Section III focuses on the skills that are involved in controlling the situation. You’ll learn how to:

Handle requests.
Make requests.
Reinforce behaviour.