Quick Tip: Hostage Negotiator's Tone of Voice

Crisis and hostage negotiator's are involved in situations that are tense, stressful, and anxiety-filled.  In order to try to reduce the overwhelming emotions being experienced by the person they are trying to help, the negotiator's tone of voice is an important tool that can help move the conversation toward a peaceful resolution.

According to Strentz (2012, p.81), after interviewing numerous hostage takers, a theme that emerged was that frequently the hostage takers could not recall the specific things the negotiator said to them that contributed to them turning him or herself in. What they did remember however was the tone of voice of the negotiator- it was one of concern for them as a victim and in need of help.

Crisis Negotiation Month: Final Week

The month of April is "Crisis Negotiation Month" at ADRhub.com.  It is a collaboration between the ACR Crisis Negotiation Section and ADRhub.com and it will bring you articles, tips, info graphics, and a webinar throughout the month.

Enjoy further below the final week's articles below

See Week 1 HERE

See Week 2 HERE

See Week 3 HERE

See Week 4 HERE

Secret Skills of Crisis Hostage Negotiators: Slow Down

If slowing things down works for crisis hostage negotiators, it can help you too

Don’t rush the process.

Experience is Not Expertise

10,000 hours. That is the amount frequently cited as the number of hours it requires to be an expert in something.
Is there a difference between an being experienced negotiator and an expert?  Check out this article to find out.

4 Secrets for Winning the Toughest Negotiations

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson has quite the reputation for brokering deals with thugs. Here's how he does it.

Hostage & Crisis Negotiators: Nonverbal Communication Basics

The appearance of the
negotiator matters.

Learn the skills used by these expert negotiators and how it can help you.

Nonverbal communication plays an important role during hostage and crisis situations involving law enforcement personnel.  Nonverbal communication is not limited to solely “body language” but rather includes a variety of other elements.  To raise awareness of the numerous nonverbal communication elements that are possibly present during an interaction, I created the METTA acronym (movement,environment, touch, tone, and appearance) during my doctoral research on nonverbal communication and mediators.