No matter what levels you officiate, again and again you will find yourself in tricky people-handling situations. After all, officiating is a people-handling business. You may find yourself the target of heckling by fans or of more direct verbal challenges from players or coaches. You may have to deal with fights between players. Worst case scenario, you may be physically assaulted. Whatever happens, when people — players, coaches or fans — are in your face, you need to deal with it, and deal with it effectively.
Excerpted from articles and columns that have appeared in Referee over the years, the short articles and lists that follow are intended to help you handle a variety of tough situations. You’ll learn ways to manage conversations, develop thicker skin and resolve conflicts. You’ll learn why you shouldn’t take most verbal abuse personally, whether you’re ready to handle verbal challenges, why not to threaten with "One More Word …," and why players must learn to argue,too. Finally, you’ll learn what to do when a fight breaks out and what to do, and what not to do, if you’re physically attacked. Those aren’t light topics, but they are important, at all levels of officiating.
