Duncan Jarrett<\/a> shared his experience of many years in such situations.\u00a0 UK policy with respect to the taking of UK nationals is to cooperate with the host country’s policies.\u00a0 As a negotiator in such circumstances, Jarrett sees himself as an instrument of the decision-maker, not ultimately empowered in his own right.\u00a0 He acts as a buffer and creates a gap in time between a demand and a response\u00a0to the demand.\u00a0 Time, in this context, is the negotiator’s friend.<\/p>\nHostage situations, Jarrett explained,\u00a0result from\u00a0ill-conceived, poorly prepared, opportunistic and impetuous acts.\u00a0 Positions change as more data becomes available to both sides.\u00a0 It is a team game, with a team goal and very straightforward rules.<\/p>\n
As an example, Jarrett posited an instance where each member of the audience was part of a kidnapped couple\u00a0who had been released to air the kidnappers’ grievances.\u00a0 If we failed to return to our kidnappers after our job was completed, our spouse would be killed.\u00a0 When prompted, each of us signified that we would go back.\u00a0 But Jarrett said “I wouldn’t let you.\u00a0 I would prevent you.\u00a0 By requiring you to stay here I would have saved one life — which is my job after all — and I would have reduced the kidnappers’ commodities to only one.\u00a0 They will not eliminate their only leverage.”<\/p>\n
The clarity and outlandishness of\u00a0Jarrett’s analysis was reflected in other guides, or rules, that he used in these situations.\u00a0 He said these pirate kidnappings were not state-run actions but loose, non-national criminal bands communicating to colleagues by internet and other cyber capacities.\u00a0 A skiff with rifles can hold up a global economy.\u00a0 This is not war\/peace or win\/lose.\u00a0 This is crime.\u00a0 How do you build a negotiation structure to influence behavior in such a context?<\/p>\n
![\"Somali](\"http:\/\/i1.trekearth.com\/photos\/70387\/10.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
First,\u00a0“Liking.”\u00a0 Admit your respect\u00a0for the pirates’ decision.\u00a0 They are doing this because the oil tankers destroyed the fish they used to live on.\u00a0 Healthy respect is good, and it is often mutual.\u00a0 You will get nowhere if you hold the other side in contempt, particularly if you convey that contempt.<\/p>\n
Second, “Authority.”\u00a0 Accept the authority of the person you’re dealing with and assert your own.\u00a0\u00a0Jarrett fits into early conversations with a kidnapper, “I have done 120 of these kinds of problems and I\u00a0tend to resolve them.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third, “Social Proof.”\u00a0 Behave as your counterpart would expect you to behave.\u00a0 Look the part you have been cast in.\u00a0 Among other things, wear a suit.<\/p>\n
Fourth, “Reciprocity.”\u00a0 This is a most effective tool, because it makes the other side beholden.\u00a0 Give them something.\u00a0 They will feel they owe you something back.\u00a0 It may be anything:\u00a0 A cigarette or a chocolate bar, but one per three hours, no more.\u00a0 The promise of a life sentence instead of hanging.<\/p>\n
Fifth, “Commitment\/Consistency.”\u00a0 If you never pay ransom, then never pay it and be known as someone who doesn’t pay it.\u00a0 Act predictably in all instances.\u00a0 If you promise something, always do what you promised.\u00a0 If you threaten something, then always carry out the threat.<\/p>\n
Sixth, “Scarcity.”\u00a0 Be the only path to what the party needs.\u00a0 Be clear: “I am the only person who will deal with you.”<\/p>\n
Thus is influence earned, and thus might behavior be changed.\u00a0 Through this progression, time is the negotiator’s friend, and as time passes rational decisions are encouraged and rewarded.\u00a0 Anxiety and impetuosity are reduced, and reason comes into play.\u00a0 Moreover, Jarrett suggested that the progress of such negotiations mirrors the progress of many more familiar, commercial negotiations:<\/p>\n
Introduction\u00a0 –> Opening Statement<\/p>\n
Active Listening, Empathy –> Exchange of Opening Positions<\/p>\n
Rapport –> Negotiation<\/p>\n
Influence –> Bargaining<\/p>\n
Change Behavior –> Close the Deal<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It’s quite a world we live in, and quite a set of tools we must bring to our work as problem-solvers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A panel of experts on negotiation with maritime pirates yields surprising, refreshing and useful parallels to negotiating in less deadly contexts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-negotiation","tag-negotiation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.businessconflictmanagement.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.businessconflictmanagement.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.businessconflictmanagement.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.businessconflictmanagement.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.businessconflictmanagement.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.businessconflictmanagement.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.businessconflictmanagement.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.businessconflictmanagement.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.businessconflictmanagement.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}