aware
oftheimportanceofgoodland-
owner relations. It usuallydoesnottake
longfor the novicetocome tothe same
realization. Even though most interactions
are positive most balloonists have a memo-
rable irate landowner story. There are few
key issues,though, whichapplyto allthe
interactionsandwhichcanhelpthebal-
loonist to maintain control of the situation.
Most landowner relations can be thought of
as belonging to several categories. The first
oneisthe mostpleasantfor everyone. In
this situationthe chase crew is the first to
arrive ata proposed landingsite and suc-
cessfully negotiates permission for the bal-
loonpilottolandhisaircraft.Thepilot
landshisballoonandremovesitwithout
leavingatrace,exceptperhapsforgood-
will.
The secondscenarioonewhichthe
balloonist was not able to secure permis-
siontolandon the property. Whether or
notanypropertydamagehasoccurred,
some landowners will feel that their rights
havebeenviolatedandmightpossibly
reactina hostile manner.
Thelastgroupof situationsinvolves
realor perceiveddamage.Unfortunately,
havingprior permissiontolanddoesnot
automaticallyexclude incidentsfromthis
category. Whetheror not the damage is real
or perceived depends on the perspective of
the individual. Destroying just one flower
blossom to some might seem insignificant
butpossiblynottothegardenerwhohas
nurtured it all year in hopes of winning first
prizeinthe local flower competition. Re-
member though, that whether you are sim-
plyanunwelcomevisitoror whetherthe
landownerhasexperiencedsomerealor
perceivedloss,thelandownerwillprob-
ablyreact emotionally.
At that time the landowner maynot
be capable of dealingrationallywith the
situation.Iftheballoonistorhiscrew
react emotionally there is a potential for a
rapidlyescalatingsituation. However, if
youareabletoestablishanemotional
rapportwiththelandowner, mostof the
anger will dissipate. The question, then, is
howdowedisarmhostilepeopleand
transform the situationintoone whichis
more positive than negative.
Begin by approaching the landowner
ina forthright, honest, and positive man-
ner.Your approachshouldbeslow and
thoughtful.Beawareofyourphysical
distance from someone. Do not appear to
crowdthem.Rememberthebenefitsof
good eye contact andyou and your crew
should never forget the positive impact of
a friendlysmile. Try tobe emphatic and
genuine and try to respect and understand
theotherperson’sperspective.Thisis
oftenwhat most people want.Basically,
yo ush ou ldp uty ou rsel fin tot he
landowner’sposition,tobesensitiveto
whathebelieveshashappenedtohim,
and use goodcommon sense.
One way you can show your sensitiv-
ity to the landowner is to reflect the com-
ments thathe ismaking toyou. Incoun-
selingthisiscalledreflectivelistening
and might be particularly useful to a bal-
loonistwhendealingwithanespecially
aggressiveorangrylandowner.Byre-
flectingtheircommentsyouareletting
themknowthatyouhearwhattheyare
saying, that you understand what they are
saying, and that you are trying to imagine
yourself intheir position. The tone of the
interactionwillbemorepositiveifthe
landowner perceives that you are sorry for
any damages causedby your aircraft.
Sometimes, though, you maynot be
the way we handle people depends on our
ownabilitytocontrolour emotionalex-
pression and behavior pattern. If the land-
owner maintainsa highlevel of hostility
he mayappeartowanttoargue,orbe-
come physical, or even fight. However, it
isespecially important for the balloonist
to maintain control of his emotions and to
interact as calmlyaspossible.
Also, do your best to assure the land-
owner that any damages will be rectified.
Sometimeslandownersarenotactually
hostilebutmerelyanxiousorhesitant.
Youshoulddoyourbesttomaskany
anxiety or hesitant feeling of your own. If
not,youmightliterallybesettingthe
stagefornegativeinteraction.Usually,
though, in borderline instances, your posi-
tive attitude, positive attitudeof yourcrew,
your friendly smile andfriendlyattitude
or maybe just the novelty oftheballoon
itself will assure a positive interaction.
In my clinical practice, I have a short
list of rules fordealing with people.I think
they apply in this situation as well as in the
counseling sessions.
1.Alwaysmaintaingoodeye
contact withthe individual with
whom youare dealing.
2. Offer a firm handshake.
3. Use a positive greeting and a
positive farewell.
4. Generally, maintain a positive
attitude.
5. Maintain emotionalcontrol.
6. Try to be sensitive to the feel-
ingsofthepeoplewithwhom
you are interacting.
Usingtheseguidelines,Ithinkwe
can be more confident of good landowner
relationsandmore positive timesinbal-
looning.
Clinical Psychologist
