An interview with George J. "Rhino" Thompson, author of Hammett's Moral Vision, and the president & founder of the Verbal Judo Institute, Inc. There is no one else on earth like Doc Thompson. He was a university-level English professor before he chucked the academic life to become a patrolman on the mean streets. Along the way, he became a leading authority on tactical communication, and now conducts “Verbal Judo” seminars for both law enforcement officers and civilian businessmen wanting to hone their verbal persuasion skills.
For many years Dr. Thompson has sought to present the Verbal Judo philosophy on leadership in written form. Now available from LooseLeaf Law Publications this May, “The Verbal Judo Way of Leadership – Empowering the Thin Blue Linefrom the Inside Up”is a unique co-authorship between George Thompson, founder and president of The Verbal Judo Institute and VJ instructor / retired “Green Beret” Greg Walker.
Verbal Judo, or Tactical Communications, is the gentle art of persuasion that redirects others behavior with words and generates voluntary compliance.
Verbal Judo provides the foundation for any truly effective law enforcement communication program. In researching and providing expert testimony on police use-of-force for over thirty years, I can definitively state that an officer's communication skills are a major factor that serves as a foundation for almost all effective uses of force. Let's start with and emphasize training utilizing our most important "officer survival" skill.
Bill Lewinski - founder and director of the Force Science Research Center at Minnesota State University
Verbal Judo is an essential skill set for the working street cop. It completes the balanced package of necessary survival skills for officers who are required to have a continuum of expertise in resolving confrontational situations. Officers without these skills are as deficient in their overall survival training as any officer that does not know how to use their weapon appropriately.
Kevin M. Gilmartin, Ph.D.
Law Enforcement Behavioral Science Consultant
Author of Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Familles
Hi George:
Just finished your book. Great!
George Thompson's new book "The Verbal Judo Way
of Leadership" is a welcome contribution to the dialogue on how to build
department morale and retention--and also re-foster public trust in law
enforcement. Filled with "street smart" anecdotes and practical advice
on how to make the cop on the street safer and more effective, he also
addresses the "philosophy" of peacekeeping for everyone in the chain of
command. He makes a convincing argument that the ultimate professional
and spiritual reward of a career in Law Enforcement is a feeling of nobility
as a "protector-defender."
Semper Fi!
Jack
("Mr. Jack Hoban, a former Marine Captain and
martial arts instructor in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Mr. Hoban was, at the
time, a sixth degree black belt under Grandmaster Hatsumi of
Japan.")
"I do hate being hit without hitting back---but its a cheap price to pay forwinning!" (Detective Operative Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett)
I am an enormous fan of Dr. George Thompson's Verbal Judo program. We know that frightened human beings are no longer rational. As fear-induced, anger-induced or hormonal-induced heart rate goes up, vasoconstriction sets in. As the blood drains from the face (due to vasoconstriction) the blood also drains from the forebrain, and the midbrain (the part of the brain that is the same as your dog) takes over. The reason why you can't have an argument or a rational discussion with a frightened or angry person is because there's nobody home! You're trying to argue with their 'dog' thru the mail slot.
There are several ways to calm down a frightened person, but one of the most effective is to 'talk' them down. And Verbal Judo is a scientific, proven method to 'talk' someone down. Proven across the decades, getting the 'acid test' daily in police agencies world-wide, Verbal Judo is one of the most well demonstrated, effective, and useful tools that can go in any police officer's tool box.
And you can quote me on that!
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
Author, "On Combat" and "On Killing"
www.killology.com
GOALS OF THE COURSE WHAT IS VERBAL JUDO? WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OFVERBAL JUDO? WHY YOUR DEPARTMENT NEEDSVERBAL JUDO? WHAT IS THE TRAINING AGENDA FORVERBAL JUDO?
WHERE ARE "OPEN" CLASSES IN VERBAL JUDO?
OVERVIEW:
VERBAL JUDO is a tactical communication training course. Dr. George Thompson Ph.D. is the President and Founder of the Verbal Judo Institute. He has applied his diverse experience, including ten years as an English Professor, as well as five years as a Police Officer, to create an internationally recognized training program in Tactical Communication.
VERBAL JUDO is offered as a 2-day training program. The principles and tactics taught enable graduates to use "Presence and Words" to calm difficult people who may be under severe emotional or other influences, redirect the behavior of hostile people, defuse potentially dangerous situations, perform professionally under all conditions and achieve the desired outcome in the encounter.
Trainer: Doc Thompson
May 12--16, 2008
0800 to 1700 hours
Contact: Doc Thompson at
315-253-0007
or Lt. Gary
Gudac at 877-807-6258 ggudac@ashevillenc.gov
COST $995, includes ALL books and materials, PowerPoint, Mini
Course, Tac Card, Pin and an Instructor shirt!
Open Instructor
ASHVILLE
NORTH CAROLINA
Click 'Continue' after above 'Buy Now' to pay with Credit Card
TEMPE, AR - Trainer
Verbal Instructor
Trainer: Doc Thompson June 16 - 20, 2008
0800 to 1700 hours
TO Register: Call IPTM, 904-620-4786 TEMPE,
ARIZONA
SYRACUSE - BASIC INSTRUCTOR
Verbal Judo
Tac Com
Trainer: Doc Thompson
SEPTEMBER 15--19, 2008
0800 to 1700 hours
Contact: Doc Thompson at
315-253-0007
SPECIAL RATE $799: Students will receive a
power point presentation with 44 embedded videos, an 80 page instructor
manual, a DVD, two books--“Verbal Judo: The Art of Gentle Persuasion”
and “Redirecting Behavior With Words”-- by George Thompson PhD,
a three-hour Mini Course, a Verbal Judo instructor golf shirt, an instructor
pin, and an instructor certificate.
Open Instructor
SYRACUSE, NY
Click 'Continue' after above 'Buy Now' to pay with Credit Card
