1) Bystander intervention programs that focus on training communication skills are more effective than those emphasizing physical intervention. Effective communication strategies like LEAPS and the persuasion sequence allow bystanders to safely diffuse situations through conversation. 2) A new study validates that the VDI Communication Model is the safest and most effective strategy for bystander intervention. Those with strong communication skills feel more confident intervening, and the rhetorical communication style is most effective for achieving intervention goals. 3) For bystander intervention to work, communication skills must be explicitly taught. Standardized communication strategies give bystanders confidence to intervene safely and achieve desired outcomes through influence and negotiation.

1. Why bystander intervention training must
start
with communication skills
by Jill Weisensel
Our bystander intervention strategies are garnering national
interest, because they focus on training the group that has
the power to make things better.
Bystanders generally know right from wrong -- but are unsure
of how or when to take action to prevent a
situation from getting worse. Most people
think that intervention strategies require
some drastic form of physical
intervention; however, many appropriate
strategies have very little to do with
physical defense, and have EVERYTHING to
do with communication skills.
Assuming that students will be able to
safely intervene and “talk” their way to a
peaceful resolution is a very dangerous
assumption. Communication skills HAVE to be trained.
In learning skills such as LEAPS, the persuasion sequence,
deflectors, peace phrases/engagement phrases, and anger
guards, bystanders will be better equipped to confidently
diffuse situations through conversation.
There are many bystander intervention programs out there
right now coming from college campuses across the country. We
have now started delivering the VDI Bystander Intervention
training curriculum to high school and grade school students.
We are having great success teaching kids how to notice
potential problems, and how to intervene early, safely, and
effectively.
The key to their success? The VDI Communication Model.
The VDI Communication Model is based upon Aristotelian theory
of rhetoric and modes of persuasion. It has been tested for
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Bystanders
generally know
right from wrong
— but are unsure
of how or when to
take action
to prevent a
situation from
getting worse.

2. over 30 years as the go-to public service communication
strategy for influencing behavior and gaining compliance.
It is no surprise then that the VDI Communication Model
should be at the heart of every bystander intervention
program.
There are several communicative challenges of bystander
intervention. Primarily, there is the need to know your goal
of intervention, prior to opening your mouth. The goal of the
intervention (your actual intention and motivation for
intervening), needs to be specifically stated and clearly
outlined during your intervention conversation.
Sometimes, we must intervene in socially awkward situations
that are difficult to communicate in. These situations
require a hefty dose of tact on the part of the intervener,
including considerations for what to say (specific words and
content), why we’re saying it (our intentions and goals),
when we should say it (timing), where we say it (in
relationship to other people), and how we say it (tone).
These situations also require us to be cognizant of where
we’d like the conversation to go, so much so, that it is
desirable to have a pre-practiced and pre-planned response in
mind (think of having an arsenal of engagement phrases,
deflectors, anger guards, and the persuasion sequence at your
disposal). With that being said, one can argue that
intervention communication requires a high level of self-
awareness, proxemic management, and message design logic.
A new research study, which I am extremely grateful for,
addresses this specific issue and 100% validates my research
conclusion that the VDI Communication Model is the safest and
most effective communication strategy for bystander
intervention.
Cindy White and Jennifer Malkowski, under the direction of
the Department of Communication at the University of
Colorado, recently published a study in Health Communication
titled: Communicative Challenges of Bystander Intervention:
Impact of Goals and Message Design Logic on Strategies
College Students use to Intervene in Drinking Situations.
Individual communication skills and beliefs about
communication will shape intervention strategies across
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3. different contexts. The authors examined individual’s varying
goals during interventions, and the types of messages the
individuals used to intervene. They then looked at the
effectiveness of each goal, and the type of communication
message used. Not surprising, they found that differences in
outcome goals were related to the types of messages used for
intervening. Additionally, the authors reflect that students
who have strong communication skills demonstrated a stronger
sense of “bystander efficacy,” as in, people with stronger
communication skills felt more confident in their ability to
safely intervene in a situation.
The beauty of this point is this: individuals who do decide
to help in a given situation must figure out what to say to
effectively achieve their goals. In using a non-escalatory
engagement phrase and the persuasion sequence, individuals no
longer have to struggle to figure out what to say.
Introverted individuals, who generally don’t speak up and
intervene, now have a tried and true blue print for
communication success. People can very quickly inject
themselves into the situation (non-threateningly), ask a
question, and set the context for the individual in an
attempt to elicit voluntary behavior change. “Bystander
intervention” represents an “influence situation” whereas the
intervener has different approach motivations and different
goals for intervening. Understanding these goals up front
will provide the intervener with the exact context they need
to safely negotiate behavior change.
Additionally, the authors discuss the concept of message
design logic (MDL), a communication theory that guides how
individuals approach communicating in a given situation. MDL
holds that individuals use one of three different “design
logics” when producing a message in goal situations. The
three design logics are: expressive (expressing thoughts and
feelings), conventional (that communication is a “game played
cooperatively according to socially conventional rules”), and
rhetorical (which “reflects an understanding of communication
as creating an opportunity to negotiate social selves”).
The authors confirm that there is a growing body of MDL
research indicating that the “rhetorical communicator” is the
most effective in these types of “goal situations,” as they
tend to see possibilities for managing the interaction and
invoke communication to create a “suitable context whereby
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4. intended outcomes can be achieved.”
White and Malkowski also found that individuals with
rhetorical logic felt significantly more bystander efficacy
than those with expressive logic, as rhetorical communicators
hold the belief that communication involves the negotiation
and outcome of social situations. VDI trained operators, who
have been trained in communicating from a rhetorical
perspective, have a substantial intervention advantage. This
is groundbreaking news for bystander intervention
programmers.
In conclusion, the authors state, “From a communication
perspective, intervention can be seen as a compliance gaining
situation whereby individuals are encouraged to act on the
needs of others largely for the sake of communal wellbeing.”
We must understand the art of compliance gaining in different
contexts if we are to better understand what people are doing
as they seek to influence behavior change in others.
To read the entire research article visit:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23402306.
Jill Weisensel
Consultant, Verbal Defense & Influence
_ _ _
Jill has developed bystander intervention
programming for bullying and sexual violence
prevention, with a particular focus on threat
assessment and bystander mobilization.
Jill is a consultant/instructor for Verbal
Defense and Influence. Additionally, she
directs and manages shift patrol operations within an urban
campus environment. She has a Master’s degree in Kinesiology
with an emphasis in Sports Psychology from the University of
Wisconsin- Milwaukee, and her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal
Justice and Sociology from Carthage College.
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