The talents of a professional negotiator

What do a madman who is holed up in his house, a hostage-taker, a patient who refuses treatment, intransigent trade unionists, and our own children all have in common? They all make us negotiate with them, and our children are among the best at this game! In any case, this is Laurent Combalbert’s opinion after twenty years’ experience, firstly as a negotiator for the French police force’s elite intervention corps (RAID), and then in his own specialised consultancy. Crisis negotiation can be learnt and requires multidisciplinary knowledge and demanding methodology. In view of the complexity of different situations which are all unique because of the nature of those involved and their environments, it is a mixture of methodological rigour and the capacity to adapt which determines the quality of the negotiator and is the basis of his ability to pass on what he has learnt to others.