Keep your language even. The tone you should adopt in cases where players are kicking and screaming, or even attacking you, is the official tone one expects from a good police officer. You will likely get baited into arguments, you will likely be called a fascist at least once in your admin career. I got called one 12 hrs ago after asking telling someone I wouldnt punish them but I'd like to have them stay away from the other player involved. You will hear snide and loaded comments about you and your actions, or your fellow staffers actions. Do not rise to these comments, insults and accusations, just ignore them and remain focused on your goal : obtaining the facts and making a decision which allows all parties to move forward.
Finally, what you don’t need is a public debate on the issue. People will probably stir up angst on the boards if they are not happy with the decision. They’ll probably try to force the issue, paging the ‘other side’(other involved parties) in an attempt to further the argument. When you have handed down your decision on how everyone is moving forward, ask (don’t tell) them politely that posting and public ranting shouldn’t really occur, and furthering or escalating conflict into the public arena will do very little to help their cause.
Really, handling these situations all comes down to two things : Having common sense and having the self control to stay impartial and out of heated debates, while being able to take control and to get the salient information needed to make an informed decision. And if you don’t let things get out of hand, you’ll probably gain some measure of respect from the warring parties, even if they don’t actually like you. |