Negotiating Towards Peace: To Release Hostages or Manage Our Daily Lives

On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’ll take a look at hostage negotiations. From criminal kidnappings to political pawns, hostage taking is a tragic business that captivates news readers and fills the plots of thrillers, and - as we've seen recently - it's often a core element between nations at war. But far from the dramatic scenes played out in movies and series, what is actually happening behind the scenes? How do hostage negotiators build rapport and trust and come to agreements with kidnappers? And how are these same tactics useful in lower stakes negotiations? Recent research supports the common sense hypothesis that some people have personality traits that make them better negotiators than others. Individual differences matter. But these traits are possible to change or develop through practice. We’ll hear about this research and how we can use it to improve how we perform in and feel about negotiating. We’ll also hear how a hostage negotiator and former hostage used these tactics in real life. Danielle Preiss talks with three guests who are deeply familiar with hostage situations and negotiations from three different perspectives. Dr. Hillary Anger Elfenbein, is a professor at the Olin School at Washington University and researches negotiation from the level of buying a car to negotiation for release of hostages. Sue Williams is a hostage negotiator who led the Kidnap and Hostage Negotiation Units for the Metropolitan Police in London. And Thomas Olsson was held hostage by Jabhat Al-Nusra, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, for one and a half years.