Training Strategies for Crisis and Hostage Negotiations

Training Strategies for Crisis and Hostage Negotiations was written for trainers who are tasked with providing role play: scenario-driven training that is challenging, novel, interesting, varied, and motivating. A trainer may play a larger role as leader, expert, teacher, coordinator, planner, facilitator, resource manager/librarian, observer/evaluator, talent agent/developer, and as a liaison with local, regional, and national groups. Role play remains the principal resource as the most effective way to train negotiators—both novice and experienced—and scenarios can be written in any number of ways, with role plays having endless possible variations that provide needed practice under controlled circumstances. Role play has been employed in numerous and diverse settings in the behavioral sciences, government, military, medicine, and business, affording needed practice under these controlled circumstances. The book observes training plans, goals and objectives, roles of trainers, scenario writing, subjects and realistic guidelines for role players, creative variations for role play practice, plus feedback and evaluation. The author adds knowledge about constructing scenarios that teach and challenge, making role plays more powerful and enlivening. Foundation material is included about the role of the trainer, the trainee, adult learning, and the important process of evaluation and the creative use of role play. In addition to the basic principles and mechanics of training strategies, skill-building exercises are presented, which can be used to serve unique settings and circumstances. The basics of active listening skills, negotiations stratagems, analysis of personality, and training techniques to properly master the basic skills for negotiators at all levels are among the many facets of this resource. The author presents a constant review and application of fundamentals in the negotiation world that has produced successful resolutions and competent, skille