Conflicts cannot be eliminated but it can be mitigated and managed.
The more tools a conflict resolution practitioner is able to accumulate in his or her toolbox the greater the likelihood of success.
Effective communication is the linchpin skill necessary to peacefully address conflict and crisis. Negotiation remains an art form that can be learned and improved upon through training and, practice. The hallmark trait of a professional is the never ending quest of knowledge: knowledge that easily translates to practical application.Principles and practice of conflict and crisis achieves the invaluable and essential balance between theory and application. The talented and experienced authors who have contributed to this seminal work understand the importance of providing the reader with a strong theoretical foundation combined with application strategies and techniques deftly illustrated by case studies. Individual facts and circumstances, context and the totality of circumstances are recurrent themes in their situational approach.
Regardless of whether the operational milieu is a correctional institution, mental health care facility or a hostage situation, the ability to access an individual's emotional stability, personality and motivation is paramount. Emotionally disturbed people and subjects suffering from some form o mental disorder account for approximately half the crisis situations encountered by crisis negotiators. The authors strongly advocate the sound practice of negotiating with regard to the observable behavior while staying clear of trying to diagnose and or label a subject. A flexible approach to viewing personality disorders is suggested. Despite what a clinical diagnosis may suggest, each individual may present traits, characteristics and behaviors to different degrees along a continuum. Understanding how various personality disorders may derail a negotiation is a major factor in arriving at the most effective strategies, themes and techniques. Crisis negotiators must collect all available intelligence, plan and then actively manage the interaction. These best practice approaches are clearly demonstrated through the work.
Negotiator selection and training are also highlighted. At a minimum, crisis negotiators should have maturity, resilience and patience. The Most effective training to develop the essential skill sets is also discussed. Well structured role playing scenarios are invaluable to a crisis negotiators development. Emotion will always trump reason. Crisis negotiators must fully appreciate the strong emotions need to be addressed and have time to be vented before any meaningful attempts can be made at problem solving. The authors illustrate the process necessary to influence and eventually modify a subject’s behavior. Active listening remains the baseline skill for crisis communicators to use in order to demonstrate empathy.