How does fear show up in high-stakes conversations? In this episode I'm joined by former hostage negotiator Nigel Taberner to explore how to diffuse tension, build trust and communicate under pressure when the stakes are high.
Nigel spent 10 years as a hostage negotiator with Greater Manchester Police, successfully resolving over 130 incidents. He now brings the same skills he honed in that world - and his unique perspective on communication, resilience and emotional intelligence - into boardrooms and conference stages, helping business leaders navigate the conversations that matter most.
Together we explore how to manage fear when lives are at stake, what it takes to build trust from nothing and what a hostage negotiator's world can teach the rest of us about difficult conversations.
We look at:
- Why giving your mind a job to do is one of the most effective ways to manage nerves
- What it means to know your own capacity before stepping into someone else's crisis
- Why listening might be the single most underrated skill in any high-stakes conversation
- Why the real issue is rarely the thing someone's actually arguing about
- What to do when someone rolls a grenade into the conversation
If you’ve got a conversation ahead of you that you know you want to get right, this episode will help you walk into it with more clarity and confidence.
About Guest
Nigel Taberner has over 30 years of operational experience with Greater Manchester Police and Counter-Terrorism Policing North West, serving in a wide variety of front-line and investigative roles. At the height of his career, he was a Detective Inspector responsible for counter-terrorism policing operations.
During his 10 years as a hostage negotiator, Nigel deployed to over 130 incidents, successfully resolving armed sieges, domestic and international kidnaps, and high-risk suicide interventions. He has delivered negotiation training to UK police officers, Special Forces personnel, and international colleagues from the FBI, Finland and Australian police forces.
He now brings these transferable skills into business, helping leaders and teams communicate under pressure, build trust and negotiate effectively.
Find out more at www.nigeltaberner.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-taberner/
The podcast was produced by pronkproductions.com
