Richard Mueller negotiated for the UK in hostage-takings in Afghanistan and the Middle East. The most important thing in negotiations was that communication between his team and the hostage-takers never broke down. The tools were patience, listening and engaging the hostage-takers in dialogue, which allowed him to gain time and important information. The goal was not to ask tough questions with phrases such as ‘Why are you nervous?’, but to use indirect phrases such as ‘I get the impression that you are nervous’. This formulation allowed for speculation. If the negotiator was correct in his assumption, the hostage-takers often deepened the conversation; if he was wrong, he was corrected and the talks did not break off.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Ef_lsnT1Y
