UP TO 2 PDUs

Presentation

Are Stakeholders Escalating? An Intro to Professional De-Escalation

Project managers encounter escalated emotions every day. Stakeholders frustrated by missed deadlines, team members feeling unfairly treated, or members of the public reacting to project impacts on their lives all create moments where communication breaks down. Decisions made in those moments can harm projects, relationships, and trust.

This live virtual workshop introduces Step Training Inc.’s Professional Model of De-Escalation, an evidence-based framework grounded in research conducted with the University of Toronto and funded by the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General. The model has been delivered to service sector administrators and personnel, law enforcement agencies, municipalities, transit operators, social services, mental health specialists and most recently project managers, engineers, environmental and safety compliance specialists and construction inspectors at the City of Toronto.

Participants will learn to recognize emotional escalation, position themselves to remain effective under pressure, and apply specific techniques to bring a person from a closed emotional loop back to constructive conversation. The session introduces the Problem-Solving Continuum, the role of value and noise in communication, and practical tools including personalization, validation, parking pushbacks, and the pause intervention.

The workshop is co-facilitated by Steven Poplawski, Chief Executive Officer of Step Training Inc., and Walter Chan, a Master Instructor with the company. Both have delivered this training to project managers, engineers, and construction managers within both private and public organizations.

This is an introductory workshop. No prior conflict resolution training is required.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this keynote, participants will be able to:

About the Presenter

Steven Poplawski, B.A., is the Chief Executive Officer of Step Training Inc. and a seasoned law enforcement professional with over 20 years of experience specializing in conflict resolution, de-escalation, and crisis management. He has trained agencies including Ontario Police Services, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the United States Federal Probation Service, and the Icelandic National Police Service, and has instructed an accredited de-escalation course at the University of Toronto. Steven has facilitated training for municipal employees across Ontario, including project managers at the City of Toronto. His applied research has influenced policy and training programs, including contributions to a new Use of Force Decision-making Model for Ontario. He is a published author featured in Blue Line Magazine, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Gazette, and law enforcement policy reports. He is a key contributor to the International Performance Resilience and Efficiency Program. Steven holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Guelph and a General Degree in Applied Arts from Mohawk College. Beyond training and research, he volunteers as a martial arts instructor for disadvantaged youth and supports Cops for Cancer and the Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-poplawski-36400493

Walter Chan is a Part-Time Professor with the Faculty of Social and Community Services at Durham College, where he supports learners preparing for careers in Protection, Security and Investigations. He has co-facilitated Step Training Inc.'s Professional De-Escalation Training for project managers at the City of Toronto, helping translate front-line de-escalation skills into project management contexts where stakeholder emotions, public scrutiny, and high-stakes communication shape outcomes.

Walter brings over 25 years of professional experience in Corporate Security Management and Corrections with particular focus on Risk Management and Project Management. He holds multiple professional industry designations, and is committed to trauma-informed, ethically grounded practice in both his teaching and applied work.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/1walterchan/

Join the Event

Live Streaming Zoom Event

The event starts at 06:00 PM. The virtual room will open 15 minutes prior to event start time. Please register to receive the Zoom link. Note, you may experience technical difficulties joining the meeting if using the Firefox browser; Google Chrome works best.

Registration

Registration closes at 11:55 PM, November 09. IMPORTANT: Due to technical difficulties in the past, we recommend you register early to avoid disappointment. Technical issues are usually resolved by PMI® global within 24 hours. Should you encounter an issue, please contact [email protected] so they can alert PMI®. We thank you in advance for your support.

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