Expert Insights
From a Senior Trainer
From a Senior Trainer
Transitioning from running his own successful business to having a pivotal role at Resolution Education as a Senior Trainer, Shane brings a wealth of experience and a passion for making a difference in workplace safety. Reflecting on his journey, Shane emphasizes that he ‘absolutely loves it’ and finds it ‘very rewarding.’
With over two decades of experience across diverse customer-facing roles and workplace safety interventions, Shane’s dedication has propelled his rapid growth within the team. Now, he collaborates with prominent organizations on a range of training programs, from Train the Trainer to Restraints and Code Silver Training.
In this interview, we delve into Shane’s passion for helping others and his ability to craft tailored and practical training solutions. Furthermore, we gain valuable insight into his understanding of triggers, baseline behavior, and disengagement strategies.
1. Empowering Employees with Practical Training Solutions
We asked Shane what he enjoys about training and if he favors a particular training program.
“I really enjoy the Code Silver and Restraints Training. The practical side of it is very engaging and fun, especially when you teach new participants who have no idea how to protect themselves or how to use restraints. I can show them how they can formulate a restraint without using strength or size.
It’s really empowering, and you see the difference as it plays out, especially from the point of view of a smaller-framed person who may think, ‘Well, how am I going to be able to restrain someone a lot bigger and stronger than me?’ So, we break it down and realize that it’s not about strength or size. It’s all about the way you position yourself, the movement, and the physics of the body. They have this lightbulb moment where they think, ‘Wow, this is so empowering.'”
2. Understanding Baseline Behavior & When to Disengage
The Resolution Education training programs are based on the ADP Framework which stands for Awareness, De-escalation, and Protection. Each of these three modules is critical to enhancing workplace safety.
We asked Shane what aspect of the framework he believes is the most important.
“Understanding baseline behavior and what has happened to someone who may have become heightened. Why have they become triggered, and what has contributed to their emotional response?”
Learning about emotions, baseline behavior, and triggers are foundational aspects of the Awareness and De-escalation modules. By helping participants recognize how their own emotions and triggers influence a situation, they strengthen their understanding and empathy of others.
“If you are calm and relaxed, and you become triggered, your reaction time to come back down to baseline is a lot quicker than if you were already heightened. But if you’re coming home from a hard day and you’ve had some challenging situations, you’re already off baseline and you’re going to have a different reaction or response because of that.
Understanding the behavior and intensity level of the emotion helps you decide the outcome and your response. It can indicate whether someone is at a point where your words can make a difference. Are you going to be able to talk them down, or are they in a state where they are so heightened and on the brink of becoming physical?”
Shane explains that if you get to a point where the situation is calming and the person is more rational, you can approach the situation.
“Now we can think about how we can empathize and build that connection to bring them back down so we can provide a solution for that person.”
Shane further reiterates the importance of our own emotions in a heightened situation. He explains that if we cannot control our own emotions then it is a good idea to disengage from the situation before it ends badly.
“Disengaging doesn’t necessarily mean walking away from a situation. You can disengage by creating time and space and pausing in the conversation, just by saying, ‘That’s a great question. Give me a moment to think about that,’ and creating some distance.
Have a strategy of creating time for [the heightened individual] to have a breather and process what’s going on, then see if that person can calm down.
They are more likely to be reasoned with and able to accept your solution once they’ve calmed down rather than when they’re at a heightened intensity level.”
3. The Importance of Tailored Solutions & Scenario-Based Training
As a Senior Trainer at Resolution Education, Shane trains organizations on several programs, including Code Silver, Restraints, and a Train the Trainer approach.
Shane gave us some insight into the Train the Trainer program and who it may be useful for.
“With Train the Trainer, we teach participants how to deliver the training so it’s even more in-depth [than the standard sessions] and done over multiple days. The trainees will learn the whole program, including how to deliver the slides and what questions to ask for the best engagement.
Once certified as a trainer, there are also support networks afterwards. So, we’ll give the team access to monthly videos and resources. They can email the trainers at any time, so if they have any problems when delivering the content down the track, we can help guide them and help them customize their training slides to suit their team’s needs.
We like to collaborate with the organization to make sure that the framework we are delivering, and the training methodology being incorporated into the organisation is in line with their expectations and goals. We work very closely with clients.”
We asked Shane how he is able to create such customized solutions every time.
“We have an Outcomes Meeting prior [to the training] where we’ll talk to the organisation. We like to receive incident reports (five or six incidents) and we will use them to customize the scenarios. We also ask organizations for their policies and procedures so that when we do the training, it is aligned with the organization and does not go outside their scope and parameters. So, it’s very much customized to suit the organizational requirements but is still within our framework.”
4. Why Organizational Boundaries & Management Involvement is Crucial
Lastly, Shane highlighted one of the main causes of concern in the many organizations he works with.
“The biggest thing that I find with a lot of the training and a lot of the organizations is that teams aren’t aware of where that line in the sand is when it comes to organisational boundaries and defining behavior.
Too often, teams don’t know that certain behaviors are unacceptable, and there isn’t a clear process or policy on how to address the behavior. If organizations condone [unwanted] behavior and allow it to happen, the behavior escalates.
A lot of organizations are so fixated on customer care that when someone crosses a boundary, goes too far, and becomes inappropriate, they are still focused on customer care rather than addressing poor behavior first.”
Shane emphasises, “It’s all about consistency,” and concludes with a recommendation for all organizations: “Leadership and management [would benefit from] attending the training to get a better understanding of what is going on within the organization.”
Key Takeaways
Shane’s Senior Trainer insight is extremely valuable to anyone dealing with heightened people in the workplace.
In summary, organizations would benefit from:
- Empowering their team members with practical strategies that are easily applied to real-life situations.
- Understanding baseline behavior, including what triggers someone and recognizing one’s own emotions and triggers.
- Collaborating with experts in the field of OVA to ensure a comprehensive and effective approach.
- Establishing consistent organisational boundaries for safety, productivity and to avoid psychosocial hazards.
If you would like to organize training for your team, whether it is standard De-escalation & Workplace Violence Prevention, Train the Trainer, Code Black, Restraints, or one of our other successful programs, reach out today. We would be happy to collaborate with you and find a solution that meets your team’s needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Code Silver and Restraints training so engaging for participants?
The practical nature of Code Silver and Restraints training creates engaging, hands-on sessions where participants experience real lightbulb moments, especially smaller-framed individuals who discover they can apply restraints effectively through positioning, movement, and body physics rather than relying on strength or size.What support is available after completing a Train the Trainer program?
Participants typically receive ongoing support such as access to resources, monthly updates, and direct communication with trainers. This continued guidance helps maintain confidence and ensures consistent delivery of training over time.
What happens during the pre-training Outcomes Meeting with clients?
The Outcomes Meeting involves reviewing 5-6 incident reports to customize scenarios, examining organizational policies and procedures, and aligning training within client parameters while staying true to the Resolution Education framework for maximum relevance.How can managers empower teams facing heightened people at work?
Managers can empower teams by providing practical, real-life applicable strategies, teaching baseline behavior recognition including personal triggers, fostering collaboration with OVA experts, and establishing consistent boundaries to enhance safety and productivity.How do clear organizational boundaries impact team safety and behavior?
Clear boundaries define acceptable and unacceptable behavior, helping staff respond consistently. Without these guidelines, inappropriate behavior may be tolerated, which can lead to escalation and increased risk for employees.
Why is recognizing personal emotions and triggers important in OVA training?
Understanding personal emotions and triggers helps staff maintain composure during heightened situations, apply de-escalation techniques objectively, and respond professionally rather than reactively, improving overall team safety and effectiveness.How does the ADP framework support safer workplace interactions?
The ADP framework—Awareness, De-escalation, and Protection—provides a structured approach to managing conflict. It helps individuals recognize risks, respond effectively to escalating behavior, and apply protective strategies when necessary.