Recruiting for a Negotiation Team

¶ … Cut Out to be a Part of a Crisis Negotiation Team?

Applications for the following positions are currently being accepted:

Team leader (this position does not involve actual negotiations but is rather tasked with coordinating the overall crisis response, including the use of a tactical team when required);

Team member (3) (these positions are responsible for direct negotiations with perpetrators); and.

Mental health professional (this position collaborates with the three negotiators and actively participates in negotiations when necessary) (Recommended negotiation guidelines and policies, 2014)

Required qualifications

Although each team member (including the team leader) will be selected on an individualized basis, some of the basic qualifications that are needed to be considered for inclusion in the negotiation team include the following:

All team members must complete a minimum of 40 hours in a qualified course including basic negotiation concepts and techniques, abnormal psychology, assessment, crisis / suicide intervention, active listening skills, case studies, meaningful role-playing drills, and an incident management overview.

All team members must be willing to continuously work to improve their abilities through training and practice;

All team members must be available for crisis assignment 24 hours a day, seven days a week at a moment's notice.

All team members should demonstrate a high level of maturity, the ability to work well under pressure, and have a team player attitude.

In addition, qualified females will be given priority for inclusion on the negotiation team because of their demonstrated ability to provide a sense of calm and reassurance for many subjects.

Multilingual team members will be given priority because they can establish a special rapport by speaking to subjects in their native tongue (Recommended negotiation guidelines and policies, 2014).