You're planning an emergency drill with divided opinions. How do you manage the conflicts?
When planning an emergency drill, differing opinions can create friction. To ensure success, consider these strategies:
How do you handle conflicting opinions during emergency planning?
You're planning an emergency drill with divided opinions. How do you manage the conflicts?
When planning an emergency drill, differing opinions can create friction. To ensure success, consider these strategies:
How do you handle conflicting opinions during emergency planning?
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If the conflict is serious enough, have the stakeholders do a "break out" session to problem solve and come back to the exercise with the resolution. If it happened in a drill, it will happen in real life. Now is the time to resolve this issue!
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I would have a clear written plan to start with in the drill. It’s designed to test the system and see what needs to be worked on. Ensure the drill is realistic and actually could happen.
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Document all perspectives and opinions, then validate them with factual data to determine whether they represent actual issues or subjective viewpoints. By conducting this analysis, you can identify real risks or challenges and make informed, data-driven decisions backed by evidence.
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When I was the Commander of my agency’s Hostage Negotiations Team, we trained with SWAT. So each unit could get maximum use of the training, we would have the negotiators successfully end the scenario with surrender, but that didn’t help the SWAT team as they basically did pre-planning and then held a perimeter. Once the peaceful surrender was done by SWAT taking the suspects into custody, we would call a “Time Out” and put all role plates back into the Scenario, have it “go bad” and then have SWAT to a tactical entry. That way, both units were able to maximize the training
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To manage conflicts during an emergency drill with divided options: 1. Set Clear Objectives – Define the drill’s purpose and expected outcomes. 2. Coordinate with Stakeholders – Align with department heads to ensure smooth execution. 3. Communicate Roles Clearly – Brief teams on responsibilities and address concerns beforehand. 4. Resolve Conflicts Proactively – Refer to IHG security SOPs; prioritize guest safety. 5. Enforce Chain of Command – Ensure final decisions align with senior management directives. 6. Execute with Flexibility – Monitor performance and document any discrepancies. 7. Debrief & Standardize – Analyze outcomes, resolve issues, and refine procedures.