“Take care of yourself and each other” was and is the signature signoff line for both the late Jerry Springer, the former Mayor of Cincinnati and ringmaster of his crazy TV show that ran for 27 years, and Lester Holt, the NBC Evening News and Dateline anchor. As weird and different as those two personalities and settings might be, it’s a fitting line to remember for people who do the work that you do. Dealing with emotionally charged people and situations and facilitating those often challenging gatherings requires intestinal fortitude: emotional courage and resilience. There was a period of time when I was moderating or facilitating three, and sometimes four, highly contentious public meetings a week. Finding ways of staying sane and recharging was imperative; I admit that beer was sometimes involved. Although this piece, again, leans toward workplace situations, you’ll find ample amounts of public engagement perspective and wisdom here.

Resilience, when dealing with friction and challenging people, is a skill that can be developed. Normal, healthy members of the public get upset – it’s how humans are wired. But, managing how that affects you when you’re working with them requires understanding the triggers that make you angry or nervous when you’re confronted. So, think about exactly when and how that has happened to you in the past, and own it. Once you recognize and accept it, you can start to remember and understand how you were able to get back to your cool, calm and collected self, and then replicate that.