Page 10 - Door Supervision Training Booklet

It is at this stage that the people you are dealing with form their first impressions of you and what you will do. Depending on your approach they may feel that you are genuinely trying to help solve their problems, or that you are just going to throw everyone out of the premises.
Sometimes particular situations will require you to use your authority to calm the proceedings and to prevent problems from escalating, whereas at other times a friendly approach would be more appropriate.
Explaining your situation and telling the other parties what you would like to happen and why will often bring about positive results if they can see that you are willing to help.
Dealing With The Situation
Having entered into an encounter, whatever it may be, your task is to try to resolve the situation to a successful conclusion. This may have to be done under difficult or stressful conditions depending on what is happening, and where possible you should also try to take into account people’s feelings and expectations as you are dealing with them.
Door supervisors need to listen properly during as encounter, a skill neglected by many people. The person talking to you will expect you to listen to them and to at least take an interest in what they have to say, even if the situation is not ultimately solved in their favour. You should show them respect by actively listening to them, being attentive and having patience and understanding. You can show a person that you are listening to them by maintaining eye contact with them, avoiding distractions and by asking questions to clarify what they are saying. Try not to interrupt them as they are putting their point across to you, as this might indicate to them that no matter what they say you have already decided the conclusion to the encounter.
Attempts should also be made to try minimising any embarrassment the person may feel when speaking to you. The way you speak to them can go a long way towards putting them at their ease.
It can cause further problems for door supervisors if a crowd gathers whilst they attempt deal with someone. Though not all of the people standing nearby will be hostile towards the supervisors as they deal with someone for a breach of the house rules, it is a possibility that you should be aware of. For this reason it is often better to try and deal with people in relative privacy if at all possible. Even if it just means asking a customer to come away from his group whilst you speak to him can be enough to prevent his mates from becoming involved in what you have to say to him on his own, which will reduce the chances of an aggressive reaction.
Door supervisors, like other people, do not like being considered wrong, or being accused of unjust behaviour. For this reason some supervisors find it difficult to apologise. We are all susceptible to making mistakes, whether it be giving someone wrong information or accusing the wrong person of some misdemeanour. In these circumstances as apology is not an admission of failure, and may even earn you some respect. If you have made a genuine mistake, offer a dignified but genuine apology.
One question often asked by new or inexperienced door supervisors is how formal they should be when speaking to customers and other members of the pupil. There is no absolute answer because of the different types of individuals you will be dealing with, and the many varied circumstances in which you will encounter them. Some situations will obviously demand a quite
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