Communication can mean the difference between life and death for those in law enforcement. The skill of communicating is one of the most underrated yet crucial aspects of any job. Whether in law enforcement or any organization people, in general, are becoming less able to communicate effectively and efficiently. As our generation moves more and more towards modern technological communication, face to face communication skills are severely diminishing.
Not listening, is one of the greatest barriers to effective communication and is the cause of most miscommunication. Listening is equally important for those in leadership as well as those on the front lines interacting with the public on a daily basis.
When those in leadership do not take
Every day, law enforcement officers encounter danger while carrying out their duties. The foremost duty of law enforcement officers are to serve and protect citizens. Most law enforcement agencies do this successfully. However, many people view law enforcement officers as the enemy. People need to be better informed about law enforcement and why officers take specific actions in certain circumstances. In our society, police are in a very dangerous position when it comes to the amount of force they can use when dealing with an individual. Officers use discretion when deciding the best course of action for the situation, whether it be physical force, persuasion, or coercion. They must take the correct course of action, because if they are too lenient or to forceful, even when dealing with petty things, they can be reprimanded by superiors and the public. Should police use force? Which circumstances warrant use force and what are the limits of force they can use? These questions are often asked when police are compelled to use force.
A caution gunshot shot into the air, a verbal demand to get down on the ground, and a sign applied on a correctional facility wall that flows, ‘warning: you are under arrest,’ all have to forms of interaction. Communication involves individuals vocally and nonverbally. Verbal concerns words, and non-verbal concerns written or actions performed. The subjects of conversation for this article includes how verbal and non-verbal interaction impact aspects of juvenile delinquent officers when approaching the public through the press, and its impact in a court proceedings when the officers testifies under direct or oblique evaluation. An additional evaluation into the effects interaction has within modification features as it concerns workers,
Not listening effectively is another barrier that could get in the way of my success in my role. At times during meetings with other managers there are certain topics where every manager has their own view or opinion and all of them are different. There comes a point after ideas have been bouncing around without moving forwards that you could choose to stop listening effectively as there are too many words and opinions. At this point I feel it advisable to call a halt and give people a chance to re-gather their thoughts and put together a valid written argument for their reasoning behind their decision so that everybody’s thoughts and ideas are considered carefully and at a suitable pace to ensure all the information is considered carefully so the best decision can then be made. I sometimes feel that some of my staff do not listen effectively when
The understanding of those barriers to which prevent information from being received can allow for better communication throughout the department.
“Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter."
This paper, will discuss the processes of verbal and nonverbal communication, including associated components of each, the differences between listening and hearing regarding communications. Also covered will be the formal and informal channels of communication that may be used within criminal justice organizations and implemented strategies used to overcome communication barriers therein. Verbal and nonverbal communication are the two main divisions of communication, and each specific realm deals with its own unique subject matters, symbols, behaviors, and processes.
Communication helps police officers get their jobs done behind the scenes. One way police officers communicate is through effective writing; it is communication that the public does not see, but it is still very important. The public does not see police officers filling out the stacks of paperwork inherent in their job, but nevertheless, this
Leadership and listening are complementary of each other, not independent to the other (Simmons, 2011). Not only does improved listening build one’s ability to read, speak, and effectively write, listening is the framework upon which reading and writing aptitude build upon (Wallace, 2013). The basic premise is listening develops abilities to understand, interpret, and evaluate a message, either spoken or written, henceforth the basic act of listening and reading are active processes that are influenced by experiences, language skills, and thinking strategies to interpret information (Simmons, 2011; Wallace, 2013).
Communication is important to most professions and human relations in general. When it comes to a career in the Criminal Justice field, you must have great communication skills. Possessing these skills can keep you out of bad situations, and might even save your life. Communication can be verbal or non-verbal and to be able to do your job well, you need to know how to overcome potential communication barriers.
Listening is a profession setting allows us to form relationships with other coworkers, understand the needs and wants of others, properly understand the tasks at hand, and be able to differentiate between the levels of communication other have. Listening enables us to be able to perform better in a job and understand what others expect of you. Some significant barriers that are apparent in a communication setting would be noise, the inability to function as an active listener, and the failure to limit distractions. Many times we are given the chance to properly react to these barriers. By doing so, we allow ourselves to be much more effective in the work environment and allow others to be effective as
When discussing leadership within the law enforcement profession is it vital to take the human factors into consideration. There are multiple human factors that the law enforcement leaders must take note of, such as, family issues, financial issues, stress, health, and morale. These human factors that play an important role for law enforcement in general can impact morale, officer safety and the public perception. When addressing the human factors, “Law enforcement leaders should challenge themselves and their employees to increase safety margins by focusing on human factors. By doing so, they will improve proactive communication at their level of influence and develop an organizational culture that values safety and wellness” (Bone, D., Normore,
SKILLS Interpersonal relationships, dealing and working under stressful conditions, proficient in MSWord, Outlook, ATS, Enforce and other proprietary software used in law enforcement, working as a team member or independently to accomplish set goals. Researching and interpreting complex laws, regulations, policies and multi-tasking. EXPERIENCE U.S. Immigration Services Officer II-U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services-U.S. Department of Homeland Security Detroit, Michigan — 2012-2015 ● Achieved Excellence Performance Ratings for fiscal years 2013 and 2014 along with an individual cash award for each of the two ratings. An award based upon my work performance and obtaining a case completion rate of 135% vs regional rate of 125% and an activity rate of 68%. ● Interpret, apply and enforce an intricate field of Immigration and Nationality laws, which includes planning and conducting independent research concerning the eligibility and entitlement of persons seeking immigration benefits and/or legal status under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Listening is an important form of communication. Unfortunately, many people who do not know how to listen believe they can listen well. They often say "I have been doing this all of my life of course I can listen". Listening is not inherited, or a personality trait, it is a skill that must be worked on and practiced.
Many believe listening skills are a necessity to being successful. It’s said that god gave us two ears so we can listen twice as much as we talk, and leaders should follow this saying so they do not miss any important information (Rai).
workplace as well. Communication is an essential skill that we cannot avoid, and should be perfected as a goal in improving your leadership efficiency. When in a leadership role, the leader