Avoidance Being aware of situations that will likely lead to verbal conflict or abuse and making an effort to avoid them. Withdrawing Once engaged in an argument, situation of conflict, or when being verbally attacked, making an excuse and exiting the area. Deflecting Changing topic or focus on the interaction as a means of avoiding any disagreement or negative reaction on the part of the aggressor. Compromise Openly offering ideas and seeking ways to placate the attacker and/or their reasons for the abusive communication. Verbal aikido A means of communication that is based on the aikido philosophy and martial way, created and propagated by Morihei Ueshiba during the 20th century. It is a style of conflict management and resolution that involves treating the "attacker" as a partner rather than an adversary. The techniques practiced by aikidoka aim at restoring a balanced interpersonal dynamic and/or reaching a positive emotional result in an exchange. In a common teaching of this communication style, developed by Luke Archer, the approach is simplified into three steps: Receiving the attack with an "inner smile" (a serene inner confidence) Accompanying the attacker with verbal Irimi until destabilization Proposing Ai-ki (an energy balance) Through the methods and exercises taught in verbal aikido training, the practitioner works on developing a sense of self-control, an assertive style of communication, and the practice of deliberate intention. Applications Developed and taught widely in police academy settings, it finds significant relevance in today's everyday workplace as well as schools, public processing centers, help desks and even mall security level guards. While it may seem counter intuitive, teaching adolescents this valuable skill has shown to reduce frustration in their daily lives as they feel more in control of conflict, while learning how to follow a path to safety and resolution. Influential contributors Several people are considered to be significant contributors to the field of verbal self-defense. These include people who were early pioneers to advocate for the importance of verbal defense skills, developers of new techniques for verbally defensive tactics, and internationally recognized and known trainers. Suzette Haden Elgin (1936–2015), the author of The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense, was one of the earliest writers to use the term. She states that verbal self-defense defends against the eight most common types of verbal violence, and redirect and defuse potential verbal confrontations. George Thompson (1941–2011), author of Verbal Judo, advanced the field of verbal self-defense