Listening Skills the Man in This Case

Listening Skills

The man in this case can do anything within his means to his wife when he panics. The situation is therefore very vulnerable and an astute negotiator should take it upon himself that everything is made possible to guarantee the safety of the woman held by the husband against her will. There are indications that this man is in a crisis stage given that when contacted he screams and rants about his cheating wife.

Before engaging in active negotiations with the man I have made an undertaking to gather intelligence about the incident, the hostage taker and the hostage. I, in this regard, intend to know what might have led to the deterioration of the situation, who the hostage taker is and whether he has had some criminal background and who the hostage may be. After gathering intelligence, I intend to develop tactics that I will use to diffuse the incident, influence the hostage taker and reduce the risk of loss of life of the hostage. I also intend to establish communication with the hostage taker and consequently record relevant intelligence information (McMains & Mullins, 2010). Keeping records of the negotiations including demands and promises is integral in this process because in the process some realistic demands of the hostage taker may be met. The equipment used in the process has to be maintained. Meanwhile, I will keep coordinating and communicating with the incident commander and tactical team to inform them about new developments McMains & Mullins, 2010). Cohesion of the team and interoperability between various roles is imperative if emotions at the incident are to be reduced. This is also important in gathering vital intelligence and gradually persuading the host taker to change their behavior. All these cannot be achieved without active listening skills on the part of the negotiator.

Active listening basically focuses on the person one is listening to, in this case, the distraught man. Active listening will help me understand what this man says about his predicaments. Using active listening, I will endeavor to repeat back in my own words what the man says to their satisfaction. This does not necessarily mean that I will concur with everything he says, but rather understand what they are trying to say. I will in the process ask myself and provide answers to questions like what I think of the subject matter, whether I have a lot of experience with the subject matter, whether the subject matter will be hard or simple to understand, or whether the subject matter is important or just fun. It is also pertinent to ascertain the victim's frame of mind and whether he is threatening or intelligent. It is also important to establish if the space is conducing for listening and whether there are avoidable distractions. After providing answers to these questions I will therefore prepare to negotiate with a positive, engaged attitude. I will subsequently focus on the person communicating by following and understanding them as if I was walking in their own shoes. Active listening will involve listening with ears, eyes and other senses. I will non-verbally acknowledge the points in the speech made by the man never agreeing or disagreeing but encouraging the train of thought. I will ensure that I am actively involved by responding to questions and directions. I will also use my body positions and attention to encourage the speaker (the man) and signal my interest.