303: Crisis Communication…Or is It Simply Being Human?: Ken Jenkins, ACC - a podcast by Meg Rentschler

Today’s show covers a critical skill set for all coaches. An important part of our work involves engaging with people when they are in a state of crisis. For our clients, there are various reasons that their emotions and responses might escalate during these times, and the very best coaches learn how to meet people in their pain. Join us to learn more from the discussion!

Ken Jenkins is a professional emergency manager with extensive experience in planning, logistics, training, deployment, response, and after-action analysis in aviation disasters. He has been involved in the aftermath of 9/11 events, along with many other catastrophic events. He has provided strong leadership for over 30 years in the transportation disaster sector. His work has enabled him to use his collaborative skills under conditions of high stress, and, in becoming a coach, he knows how these skills relate to the coaching profession. He is a coach, trainer, and author, as well as the owner and president of his own emergency response company. His book is Resilience: Stories of Courage and Survival in Aviation Disasters. In today’s episode, Ken shares specific strategies that will be useful in your toolbox to appropriately and successfully engage with clients in crisis. 

Show Highlights:

• What brought Ken into trauma work early in his career
• Why Ken wrote his book, Resilience, which focuses on his experience in eight aviation disasters with fatalities
• Why Ken decided to add coaching to his skillset and become a certified coach
• How showing up for people in the aftermath of a disaster is how we should approach people in need every single day—with deep empathy and compassion
• How Ken learned to engage with people through tough, emotional conversations by building rapport, trust, and safety
• How Ken learned to lessen the internal and external noise that people are experiencing
• The importance of preparation and presence in a situation where someone is wounded and grieving
• How open-ended questions help someone focus on the question instead of the emotion they feel
• How to best engage productively with someone who shows anger
• What it means to validate someone’s feelings
• Why crisis communication is everyday communication

Resources:

Connect with Ken: Website, Facebook, and Twitter, LinkedIn

Find Ken’s book: Resilience: Stories of Courage and Survival in Aviation Disasters

Join the STaR Coach Community:  www.STaRcoachshow.com/register/.  

To join the Fall Mentor Program with Meg, visit www.starcoachshow.com/mentor. 

Visit my website for your FREE download: What I Know Now, That I Wish I Had Known When I First Started Coaching. 

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