Signature ABW Made Easy

Signature abw

[Music] hello my name is wendy ross and i'd like to welcome you to the fourth program in the conflict management skills for poll workers training series once again we're going to examine some of the typical conflict situations that you might encounter in your vitally important work as a professional poll worker and how you can resolve them swiftly and effectively and once again we have a new fun format for our training we all love top 10 lists and in this video we have one for you it's entitled the top 10 characteristics of highly effective poll workers but before we get into the program i'd like to emphasize one very important point and that has to do with your role in the election process i refer to you as a professional because that's exactly what you are when voters walk into your polling place to vote they're looking to you as the expert in that room they may not know exactly where to go or if there's any new information regarding the voting machines or even where to sign the register until you tell them and as with any expert the more you know about all aspects of your work including how to communicate effectively and how to deal with conflicts when they arise the more confident that you will feel doing your job and the more confident you are when you need to address challenging situations the more respect that the voter will give you and the more easily you can resolve the issue so while our overriding objective in this training is to make certain that every single person who is eligible to vote actually does another important objective in this training is to help you do your job more effectively so that you can enjoy the process before we look at our top 10 list it will be helpful to review what we call the abw of effective communication you may remember a stands for attitude we know that what a person is thinking can negatively or positively impact how they communicate and what results they get b stands for body language how a person non-verbally communicates we've all heard the old adage it's not what you say it's how you say it and w stands for words there are certain words that set us up for success and others that almost guarantee that we'll encounter a problem so let's jump right in and look at numbers 1 2 and 3 in our top ten list you will notice that they all have something to do with attitude the number one characteristic of a highly effective poll worker is that they pass no judgment on a voter's abilities behaviors dress or demeanor and they maintain the utmost respect for each voter the number two characteristic is that they make no assumptions about what the voters should have known or done and the number three characteristic is that in an effort to provide excellent customer service they always remain solution oriented and view any problem or challenge not as an annoyance but as an opportunity to help we're going to look at how embodying these first three characteristics can set you up for success but first let's watch how the absence of them can cause a problem in the following scene all right okay no dude listen no dude listen i gotta go really i'll talk to you later man bye-bye hi i'm mike uh here to vote in the governor's race what do you need from me i need a signature and a photo id well here you go no you can't vote in that race what do you mean i can't vote in that race this is a partisan primary election the governor's race is partisan and i see here that you have no party affiliation the state of florida is a closed primary state if you have no party affiliation then you can only vote in non-partisan races do you know what nonpartisan means guess why actually i do i like graduated from high school well then you should know why you can't like a vote for partisan candidates you know you remind me of my 11th grade history teacher you two could be like cranky sisters you know what worked for her fiber you could clearly see how our poll workers attitude influenced her actions her communication and her non-verbal body language couldn't you she obviously thought that ethan's behavior was inappropriate as he walked in talking on his cell phone you could almost hear her as she thought that he should have known about the rules about primary elections and it was very obvious that she viewed the entire encounter with him as an annoyance not an opportunity to help as we replay this scene notice the difference when our poll worker simply maintains a positive helpful attitude demonstrates respect for the voter and excellent customer service skills no dude uh okay dude i'll call you back okay all right thank you man bye-bye hi i'm here to like vote in the governor's race what do you need from me great i need a signature and a photo id okay here you go okay let's see oh here you are oh i'm so sorry mr weiss but you aren't eligible to vote in the governor's rates you can only vote a non-partisan ballot what do you mean i like am not eligible to vote in the governor's race well this is a partisan primary election the governor's race is a partisan race and i see here that you are not registered with any party and the state of florida is a closed primary state if you have no party affiliation then you can only vote in nonpartisan races and i'm so sorry i i didn't know that uh that is such a major bummer i'm sorry i know it can be a bit confusing here let me get you a non-partisan ballot and you be sure to come back and vote in the governor's race in the general election will do thank you so much you could clearly see the difference couldn't you our poll worker was very effective at her job because she did not pass judgment on the voter's actions or his lack of information and she also seemed to view his problem as an opportunity to help and to clear up his understanding of florida law she was very respectful and gave great customer service the bottom line is this maintaining a positive helpful attitude will help you create a more positive experience and a more productive outcome not only for the voter but for you as well let's now take a look at numbers four five and six of the top 10 characteristics of highly effective poll workers you'll notice that they all have to do with the b in our abw of effective communication and b stands for body language the number four characteristic is this a highly effective poll worker greets each voter with good eye contact and a welcoming smile the number five characteristic is that they keep their voice level pleasant and calm and their body relaxed and non-aggressive and the number six characteristic of a highly effective poll worker is that they listen attentively and do not interrupt the voter watch now as our next poll worker fails to embody these characteristics as he interacts with a voter who shows up without a picture id excuse me are you ready for me yes uh well i don't exactly know what you want i just moved here from out of state and i'm not sure what the florida requirements are i need an id with your signature and photo on it oh well i uh i have this will this do uh no you need an id with your signature and photo oh i don't think i have one with a picture on it wait here's a picture of me my son well that's nice but it's not exactly id i'm sorry you have no choice but to vote using a provisional ballot but i registered when i first moved here and if my name's on the register i really don't see why i haven't i didn't make the rules it's florida's law you must have an id with a signature and a photo on it actually on the id well even if my name's on the registration it doesn't matter if you still want to vote you can vote now using a provisional ballot well what's that uh it means you can vote now but your vote won't count until they can verify your signature and if they can then your vote will count what do you mean if they can if they can i'm sure you saw how our poll worker failed to embody any of those three all-important body language characteristics of a highly effective poll worker he didn't make eye contact with the voter when she approached in fact he didn't even look up at her until she said excuse me he never smiled his face and body language looked anything but relaxed and pleasant and he interrupted her several times if my name's on the register i really don't see why i haven't i didn't make the rules it's florida's law and in terms of his voice even though he said the words i'm sorry he surely didn't sound like he was sorry all these behaviors not only didn't help the situation they actually seemed to escalate the tension especially since he also failed to apply the top three positive attitude characteristics we discussed in the first scenario he clearly viewed the voter and her problem as an annoyance he seemed to think she should have known florida law and clearly did not approach the situation as an opportunity to be of help and service in terms of the final outcome well i'm not sure exactly how this is going to end up but it certainly doesn't look promising let's replay the scene and this time notice how our poll worker not only embodies all the elements of good non-verbal body language but he also has a noticeably more positive attitude well hi there hi i just uh recently moved here from out of state and i'm first time voting in florida and i'm not sure what the florida requirements are oh well first of all let me say welcome to florida oh thanks and all i'll need is an id with your signature and photo well i've got this will this do oh i'm sorry miss russell uh this doesn't have a photo on it it does have your signature but we'll need one with your photo as well i don't think i have them with a picture on it wait here's a picture of me my son oh that's lovely but it's not exactly proper identification you must have one of these forms of id [Music] i don't have any of these with me don't worry i have a solution for you you can still vote today using a provisional ballot oh but i registered when i first moved here to my name's on the register i don't see what difference it makes i totally understand however it is florida's law and accordingly we have to follow it even if my name's on the register yes ma'am even if your name is on the register however you can still vote today using a provisional ballot professional ballot how do how does it work it's very simple you fill it out we send it in and once they verify your signature then your vote will count in fact the supervisor will contact you later on to let you know whether or not your ballot was counted and if not why okay that sounds good i'll do that thanks thank you now that was excellent service demonstrated by a very skilled poll worker with a positive helpful attitude and appropriate body language did you notice how our poll worker actually sensed that someone was approaching his table looked up and greeted her with a warm welcoming smile he also was very relaxed and pleasant his voice was calm and level and he always let the voter finish her sentences even when he knew what she was going to say and the result a happy voter who's been given excellent customer service a very positive experience and a practical solution to her problem now let's move to the seventh and eighth characteristics on our list and as we do you will notice they both have something to do with words the w in the abw of effective communication the number seven characteristic of highly effective poll workers is that they liberally use polite phrases like i'm so sorry thank you i understand i appreciate your patience no problem i want to help i can certainly see why you would think that and welcome the number eight characteristic is that they avoid killer words and phrases like that's wrong you're not listening what's your problem if you'll just calm down relax how many times do i have to say this and well there's nothing i can do watch this next scene as our poll worker dawn clearly is not aware of either of these skills here i don't mean to be rude but i'm in a really big hurry well just hang on let me find you in the book sir i really don't want to be rude but i have a very very big meeting and oh great 12 minutes could you please hurry up ma'am you need to be patient i'm going as fast as i can hmm well it seems that you have a problem you're not in the register have you moved yeah to that new subdivision north of town but what difference does that make well means you can't vote here what why not this is the precinct where i've always voted i don't understand what the difference is i'm a voter i'm registered i want to vote help me out here you're not listening to me you cannot vote here you have to vote at your new polling place but i don't even know where that is ms price you need to relax and calm down okay okay this is the part where you don't get to tell me to calm down i'm asking you for an explanation and you're telling me to calm down okay all right listen just give me one of those provisional things provisional ballots yeah give me one of those sorry that won't do you any good you can fill it out but it still won't count is it your mission in life to keep people from voting because if it is you're doing a great job what is your problem i'm certain that you can clearly see where this one is heading and once again we noticed that the killer words and phrases that don was using not only didn't fix the problem they actually made matters much worse words like just hang on you need to relax and calm down what is your problem are like putting fuel on a fire don also violated all the other characteristics we've talked about today in terms of attitude he seemed far more interested in taking a stand than in helping the voter resolve her issue plus his body language was accusatory and aggressive and he didn't greet the voter with immediate eye contact and a smile let's look at the scene another way now watch don as he avoids all those killer phrases and generously uses some of the polite customer focused words and phrases and notice how much easier it is to come to a peaceful resolution regardless of whether the outcome is what the voter originally wanted or not welcome here i don't want to be rude but i'm in a really big hurry no problem let me find you in the book sir i really don't want to be rude but i have a very very big meeting in oh great 12 minutes can you please hurry up no problem um i'm sorry ms price you don't seem to be in the register have you moved recently yeah out of that new subdivision north of town but what difference does that make according to florida law you must vote in the same precinct where you currently live i'm so sorry but this is the precinct where i've always voted i don't understand what the difference is i'm a voter i'm registered i want to vote can you help me out ms price i can certainly understand how you'd be frustrated by this and i would be too but listen i know you want to vote let's figure out how to make that happen see the man over there in the apron he can take you to the computer and look up your new precinct for you is that okay not really i have to get to this meeting well how about this let me give you the number for the supervisor of elections you can call them then after your meeting you can go over there and vote okay but why can't i fill out one of those provisional ballots here you can but we want your vote to count for that to happen you need to be at your correct precinct do you want the supervisor's number okay i guess so mr price again i'm so sorry this happened and uh i very much appreciate your understanding our need to follow the rules on this that's okay i appreciate your help thanks i'll call her office this is one of those before and after situations that is literally like night and day in this scene don's use of the wonderfully customer-focused words and phrases were very effective words like i'm so sorry no problem welcome i can certainly understand how you'd be frustrated by this and i would be too i very much appreciate your understanding our need to follow the rules on this let the voter know that he was very concerned about her plight and sincerely wanted to help his friendly positive attitude was extremely evident as he stayed focused on finding a solution for the voter in addition everything about his body language was relaxed and unaggressive and the result in spite of the fact that the voter was unable to vote in this precinct the poll worker gave her the contact information that helped her determine the location of her proper precinct this way the voter could vote a regular ballot instead of a provisional ballot that might not count good job don now let's take a look at the ninth characteristic of a highly effective poll worker simply put they understand the voters rights and always strive to honor and uphold them there are a comprehensive set of rules and regulations that you must follow in your work and while i'm certain that you are very committed to always doing the right thing and making the right choice you may encounter a few situations where there could be some doubt or a very strong opinion about what is or is not allowed or should or should not be allowed i'd like to show you one scene where two of our very well-meaning poll workers simply appear to have some strong opinions about whether or not a certain voter should be allowed to vote good morning [Music] i'm sorry wait just a minute let me get some money for you should that be allowed how can you read the ballot i think if you can't speak english you shouldn't be able to vote i agree here's the bottom line if a person is registered in the state of florida he or she is entitled to vote regardless of what language they speak or do not speak it's the law in fact in some jurisdictions multi-language ballots are required either way it is your job to make certain to provide the best customer service you can to every single eligible voter to ensure that they are able to cast their ballot and a situation like this is one of those opportunities where you can use all the characteristics of a highly effective poll worker and particularly the very first one remember what that was the number one characteristic of a highly effective poll worker is that they pass no judgment on a voter's abilities behavior dress or demeanor and they maintain the utmost respect for each voter so in a case like this one with mr gonzalez who is very qualified and capable of voting in this election you have a few options if you have a translator on site then summon him or her over to help if the person brings the translator in with them and it indicates in the record that this voter is allowed to have assistance then both parties may go into the voting booth after the translator has filled out an affidavit if it is not indicated in the record that the voter needs assistance and he is accompanied by a translator then both parties will need to sign an affidavit before they go into the voting booth and finally if none of these options are available to you then summon your clerk who will contact your supervisor of elections for assistance your ability to withhold judgment and assist every single qualified voters is one of the elements that makes you the respected capable professional that you are we now turn to the 10th characteristic of a highly effective poll worker and it's simply this a highly effective poll worker reviews studies and looks for opportunities to consciously apply all the other nine characteristics now this may seem self-evident but the truth is that it is very easy to go on autopilot and simply act and react exactly as you normally do without consciously choosing how you want to think act and speak in every given moment during your work so i encourage you to review these points before you go into the polling place on election day consciously make a decision to one pass no judgment on a voter's abilities behavior dress or demeanor and then maintain the utmost respect for every voter two make no assumptions about what the voter should have known three always remain solution oriented and view any problem or challenge not as an annoyance but as an opportunity to help four greet each voter with good eye contact and a welcoming smile always keep your voice level pleasant and calm and your body relaxed and non-aggressive six listen attentively and do not interrupt the voter seven liberally use polite phrases like i'm so sorry thank you i understand i appreciate your patience no problem i want to help i can certainly see why you would think that and welcome eight avoid killer words and phrases like that's wrong you're not listening what's your problem if you'll just calm down relax how many times do i have to say this and well there's nothing i can do nine understand the voters rights and always strive to honor and uphold them ten study and look for opportunities to consciously apply all the other nine characteristics and remember you can use these ideas to help you in many other challenging situations in your life i mean who knows you just might find yourself working right next to another poll worker who has a very different idea of how to handle your downtime oh my back is killing me got a bulging disc you know oh it's a real pain real pain that's funny which is not so funny when it happens oh i gotta tell you it's not the only thing i got going on here today i have indigestion like you would not believe i can't even look at another hot dog without yeah you know that must be coming down but something i just seem swollen to you feel it what do you think and how would you handle this you'd simply resist the temptation to judge your fellow poll workers behavior do a little attentive listening smile and think to yourself i'm so glad i'm not him [Music] as one of our valued gatekeepers of democracy you make a powerful contribution to the success of each and every election because of you every qualified voter is able to exercise their cherished right to make their voices heard on the issues that are important to them so let me conclude by saying on behalf of every single person who walks into your polling place and has the benefit of your knowledge assistance and dedication thank you thank you for your professionalism your caring and your commitment to everyone who enjoys and exercises their right to vote in this great country of ours and thank you for your willingness to serve in the election [Music] process [Music] do [Music] [Music] that seems swollen to you feel that what do you think [Laughter] you know what fiber it works really really wonders for her number okay i guess so oh something do you appreciate me [Laughter] something you