{"id":4844,"date":"2024-08-31T15:26:35","date_gmt":"2024-08-31T15:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crmknowledgehub.com\/?p=4844"},"modified":"2024-09-01T17:21:01","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01T17:21:01","slug":"pace-graded-assertiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crmknowledgehub.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/31\/pace-graded-assertiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"PACE: Graded Assertiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SOURCE: https:\/\/psychsafety.co.uk\/pace-graded-assertiveness\/<\/a> – Written by Tom Geraghty<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Psychological safety is about creating a climate in which we feel able to take interpersonal risks in order to communicate our ideas, concerns and issues \u2013 and we want to be able to speak up in a way that we feel comfortable to. But that doesn\u2019t mean we shouldn\u2019t make an effort to articulate what we want to say in clear, accessible ways<\/strong> that allow the recipient to understand our intention and act on it appropriately<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to communicate in ways that give the recipient the best chance of hearing and understanding the message. So it\u2019s important to avoid communicating in ways that can come off as aggressive or rude; partly because it\u2019s good to be kind, but also because most of us struggle to receive information that\u2019s delivered aggressively or harshly \u2013 we\u2019re more likely to become defensive in those cases \u2013 hearing not *what* is said, but *how* it was said instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But sometimes time is of the essence, and we need to quickly communicate an important message. This can be especially challenging if we\u2019re communicating with someone across a power gradient such as to a surgeon in an operating theatre or the captain in a cockpit of a passenger plane. How can we do this respectfully and effectively, ensuring our words have the intended impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PACE: Probe, Alert, Challenge, Emergency<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way is to use \u201cgraded assertiveness\u201d, which there are various models for (including a good one called CUSS<\/a>), but my personal favourite is PACE. PACE allows us to begin with a low-threat question (a \u201cProbe\u201d). This may well be enough to cause the recipient to pause, consider and adjust their course of action. If it\u2019s not, we can incrementally escalate to higher levels of urgency and assertiveness. It also means that if we\u2019re wrong about our concern, beginning with a simple probe reduces the interpersonal cost of that mistake, and poses less risk of causing a \u201ccry wolf\u201d effect by going straight to emergency-level communication with a mistaken concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using PACE<\/strong>, we first \u201cProbe<\/strong>\u201d, then \u201cAlert<\/strong>\u201d, then \u201cChallenge<\/strong>\u201d if necessary, and if we have to, we can resort to \u201cEmergency<\/strong>\u201d. I recently delivered a talk at a national highways safety conference<\/a>, and introduced PACE as a method to effectively raise concerns to colleagues and peers as below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As an example, let\u2019s say Jane has noticed that her colleague, Bob, looks very tired and has already necked two cans of Red Bull. He has just climbed into the cab of his truck to begin a long journey. Jane believes that Bob is too tired to drive safely, and knows she should speak up, but wants to make sure the message is received well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how Jane might use the PACE framework:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Probe<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cHey, Bob, you\u2019ve got a long drive ahead, are you feeling rested enough to do this journey?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bob says he\u2019s fine, and continues to prepare the cab of the truck, so Jane escalates to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alert<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cBob, I\u2019m concerned that you might be too tired to complete this journey safely. Maybe you should take some time to rest before heading off.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, Bob wants to get cracking, so insists he\u2019s ok and fires up the engine. Jane needs to make it clear that she\u2019s not comfortable with Bob driving this tired, so moves to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenge<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cWait Bob. I don\u2019t think this is safe. Take a rest first.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bob\u2019s lack of sleep is probably making him a bit irritable too, so he again dismisses Jane\u2019s concern, and belts up ready to go. Jane knows this is her last chance to prevent a potential accident, so escalates to the emergency level:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergency<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cBob, STOP. You\u2019re not safe to drive.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, there\u2019s no ambiguity. Bob knows that he\u2019s about to do something dangerous if he drives off, so stops the engine and gets out of the cab. Whilst Bob might be a little put out at having to rest before doing his drive, we\u2019ve avoided potential disaster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of course, hopefully in most situations, we don\u2019t have to escalate all the way to Emergency. Probing<\/strong> in itself can be a very effective trigger to cause someone to consider their actions or pause long enough to check they\u2019re safe:<\/p>\n\n\n\n