Most high schools, and many universities, have Speech or Public Speaking as a required course. I dreaded these classes as I'm a generally introverted fellow. In high school we had to give 3 or 4 long speeches, and that class did nothing to improve my skills. In college, however, the professor didn't have us do that, rather we gave a quick minute long speech on some topic each and every class. By the end of the first week we were so comfortable with one another and the idea of having eyes and ears on us that speaking in front of a group became very natural. I am thankful to this day for that class as it helps me not only in church activities, but in my day job as well.
I work as a Sheriff's Deputy in corrections and if you've never had to walk into a room of 50+ criminals by yourself you learn very quickly that if you can't speak confidently you're going to get steamrolled.
I am very fortunate in that my department has a Peer Support program of officers that take additional training and volunteer their time helping co-workers and their families that are having personal problems, substance abuse issues, dealing with depression/anxiety and other sorts of things. I was able to take a full week of training which included roll play scenarios (based on actual events) such as going to talk to a family of a staff member who was attacked and put in the hospital, speaking to grieving families, dealing with domestic violence, elder abuse, and all sorts of issues that people face often but seldom gets addressed. This was some of the best training I've ever received and I wish this kind of program existed in more places.
This week I am going to be going to the Adams County Sheriff's Department in Wisconsin to take an additional training course that is offered by the American Police Chaplain's Association (of which I am a member).
It will be very similar in nature to the one I have attended before, but will be primarily looking to accomplish these goals through a lens of ministry rather than a secular approach.
It is VERY important, however, to remember that just because you're in a religious line does NOT mean that you need to tote the religious barge and lift the Jesus bale. In some settings that is simply not appropriate and you may need to make a secular approach to assist people. One of my instructors shared an anecdote about someone being in a bad car accident that included the death of one of the passengers and a concerned Christian walking up during the chaos and asking the person if they wanted to "have prayer". Even though the person in question was religious, he rather staunchly declined at the moment. Having someone try to get you to engage in an impromptu prayer circle during the carting away of a just deceased loved one is a good way to get cussed out. Common sense is very important in this business.
I would encourage everyone to attend some sort of crisis intervention training like this. You never know when you will find yourself in a position like this, and its better to have at least some baseline skills rather than to stumble through some sort of tragedy and end up not only looking foolish, but quite possibly doing more harm than good.
I recently was referred to a website called Coursera.com. While looking through their offerings I found they have a class (that is starting in May 2015) called "Psychological First Aid". Designed for non-psychologists to develop the skills needed to assist in these sorts of things. It is being taught in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University and is free to take. While I have not taken this class and cannot comment on the quality of the course, I would encourage people either to take it as its a free online course, or to search out for similar forms of training.
You can quote the bible back and forth from memory, but if you can't figure out how to speak to people it doesn't really matter how much academic knowledge you possess.
https://www.coursera.org/course/psychfirstaid
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