The six steps to bystander intervention

Steps to conducting a successful bystander intervention.

The following six decisional steps enable the most appropriate bystander intervention. With practice (for example, by discussing the scenarios in the Professional Development Library), going through those steps will become second nature.

  1. Notice an occurrence along the spectrum of sexual misconduct. Specifically, ask yourself the following questions:
    1. What is the Context?  What is the relationship between the people involved? What just happened before this situation?
    2. Who has the most Power in this situation? For example, can the person in this situation leave freely? Is someone under pressure? Has everyone given their consent?
    3. What is the Impact on the person in the situation? For example, how is their physical and mental health affected? Will other people see them differently as a result of what is happening?
  2. With this information, decide that something is amiss or unacceptable.
  3. Take personal responsibility and ask yourself these questions:
    1. If no one intervenes, what will likely happen?
    2. Is someone else better placed to respond?
    3. What would be my purpose in responding?
  4. Assess your options for intervening (see details in Bystander Intervention Strategies). You can combine them for better effect:
    1. Direct approach;
    2. Distract;
    3. Delegate;
    4. Delay; and/or
    5. Non-verbal Disapproval.
  5. Determine the potential risks of intervening.
    1. Are there risks to myself? Are there risks to others (e.g., potential retaliation against the person being “helped”)?
    2. How do I approach the situation in a friendly way so that I don’t further escalate the situation?
    3. Is there a low-risk option?
    4. How could I reduce risks?
    5. Is there more information I can get to better assess the situation?
    6. How can I create more options for the affected person?  
  6. Intervene:
    1. At all times, an effective bystander will:
      1. approach the situation in a friendly and calm way (“curious” rather than “accusing”); and
      2. stay safe and call for help if it seems too risky to get personally involved or if the situation escalates.
    2. In all cases, a successful bystander intervention will provide more options for the person experiencing the sexual misconduct. It is important to note that bystander intervention should be seen as a sort of “first aid” for sexual misconduct, and will unfortunately not address the root causes of the incident of sexual misconduct.
    3. It is also important to note that the strategy/strategies a bystander chooses to use will depend on the context and the bystander’s confidence level. The important point to remember is, there is no bad bystander intervention, as any action on behalf of the bystander is better than none. With practice and experience, intervening as a bystander becomes easier, and just like any skill or habit, people become more comfortable and creative in defusing situations.

Page details

Date modified: