Can You Hear Me?

What the course covers

Negotiator Skills for De-escalation was developed and is taught by a Crisis Negotiation Team Commander with fourteen years on the team and more than a decade of consecutive attendance at the FBI Annual Hostage Negotiation Seminar.

The course covers the FBI Behavioral Change Stairway, active listening techniques, empathy vs. sympathy, understanding hooks and triggers, boundary-setting, handling demands and deadlines, and the philosophy of de-escalation. It is delivered with case studies and scenario-based application.

What you'll be able to do

• Understand the crisis state and how it affects behavior and decisions
• Apply active listening to identify emotions, values, and distorted perceptions
• Use de-escalation techniques that build trust without making concessions
• Recognize and respond to hooks, triggers, and obstacles to agreement
• Navigate demands and deadlines without escalation

Your instructor

Gregory Sampson retired as a 1st Sergeant with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police after twenty years of sworn service, including command of the agency's Training Unit and Crisis Negotiation Team. He is a Marine Corps veteran, and holds more than fifteen instructor certifications. Full background →