Apply the behavioural change stairway model to move a subject from crisis toward resolution.
Security Management
Crisis Negotiation Techniques for Security Incident Commanders
Equips security incident commanders to direct crisis negotiation using active listening, the behavioural change stairway model and command decisions during hostage, barricade or distressed-person incidents.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
When a barricaded person, distressed employee or hostage situation develops on a corporate site, the security incident commander must direct a negotiation effort without becoming the negotiator, balancing time, safety and organisational exposure while a specialist team talks the subject toward a peaceful resolution. This course develops that command capability: applying the behavioural change stairway model of active listening, empathy, rapport, influence and behavioural change, structuring a negotiation team with primary negotiator, coach and intelligence roles, and making the command decisions on tactical posture, communication boundaries and when to hand over to law enforcement. Delivery uses recorded negotiation excerpts for technique analysis, a simulated barricade scenario run from the command post, and a decision-log exercise that tests command judgement under time pressure. Participants leave with a negotiation team structure, a command decision checklist and a handover protocol for engaging external crisis response agencies.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Structure a negotiation team with defined primary negotiator, coach and intelligence roles.
Direct negotiation strategy from the incident command post without negotiating directly.
Assess subject state and risk indicators to adjust negotiation pace and tactical posture.
Coordinate the handover of a negotiation to law enforcement or specialist crisis responders.
Maintain a command decision log that documents rationale for later review and accountability.
Debrief a negotiated incident to capture technique and command lessons for future response.
Who Should Attend
Security incident commanders who oversee crisis events on corporate sites.
Corporate security managers who may direct a negotiation before law enforcement arrival.
Emergency operations centre staff who support command decisions during a crisis.
Workplace violence response team members involved in distressed-person interventions.
Human resources leaders who liaise with command during an employee-related crisis.
Facility security officers first on scene at a barricade or hostage-type incident.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Negotiation Technique Foundations
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Applying the Behavioural Change Stairway Model
- Sequence active listening, empathy and rapport before attempting to influence the subject.
- Recognise when a subject is ready to progress from rapport to behavioural change.
- Use open-ended questions and reflective statements to sustain dialogue during a stall.
- Avoid premature demands or ultimatums that can collapse rapport built earlier in contact.
Session 2Reading Subject State and Risk Indicators
- Identify verbal and behavioural cues indicating escalation, fatigue or intent to harm.
- Distinguish instrumental demands from emotional or expressive crisis behaviour.
- Adjust negotiation pace based on observed changes in the subject's emotional state.
- Flag risk indicators that require an immediate tactical reassessment by command.
02Negotiation Team Structure
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Building the Negotiation Team
- Assign primary negotiator, coach and intelligence roles with clear handoff protocols.
- Rotate the primary negotiator during prolonged incidents to manage fatigue and rapport loss.
- Brief the intelligence role to feed background information to the negotiator in real time.
- Rehearse team communication signals that do not disrupt the negotiator's dialogue.
Session 2Coaching and Quality Control During Contact
- Monitor live negotiation contact for technique drift and offer real-time coaching cues.
- Capture verbatim statements for later analysis and evidentiary purposes.
- Identify when the primary negotiator needs a scripted pause or team consultation.
- Review contact recordings between sessions to refine the ongoing negotiation approach.
03Command Decisions During a Crisis
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Directing Strategy from the Command Post
- Set negotiation objectives and boundaries before contact begins with the subject.
- Balance negotiation timeline against tactical readiness and site safety considerations.
- Approve or decline subject demands within a pre-agreed authority framework.
- Coordinate site containment and evacuation decisions alongside the negotiation effort.
Session 2Handover to Law Enforcement and Specialists
- Define the trigger point at which command hands the incident to law enforcement.
- Brief arriving specialist responders using a structured incident summary format.
- Preserve negotiation continuity during handover to avoid resetting rapport with the subject.
- Clarify command authority and communication lines once external agencies take control.
04Documentation and Post-Incident Review
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Maintaining the Command Decision Log
- Record command decisions, timing and rationale throughout the incident in real time.
- Log communications between command, negotiation team and external agencies.
- Use the decision log to support accountability reviews and any legal proceedings.
- Store incident records securely in line with confidentiality and retention requirements.
Session 2Debriefing and Capturing Lessons
- Run a structured debrief covering technique, command decisions and team coordination.
- Identify training gaps revealed by the incident for the negotiation team and command staff.
- Update site-specific negotiation protocols based on debrief findings.
- Share sanitised lessons across the security function without breaching case confidentiality.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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