FBI’s 7-step approach to tackle hijackers

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 29: Assuming that there’s still room for negotiations, how should the Indian team, led by Vivek Katju, MEA Joint Secretary, talk to the hijackers? There are no clear-cut answers since each case is unique but negotiation experts have worked out several dos and don’ts. One of the most comprehensive guides comes from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which has a 300-member negotiating team on standby 24 hours a day. Called the Critical Incident Response Group, it follows a “seven-step approach” to defuse a hostage crisis.

Underlining this strategy is what experts call “active listening.” In other words, by showing support and empathy, negotiators often can talk a hijacker into surrendering largely by listening. Political hostage-takers, the manual says, have been negotiated with effectively by stressing that their point has been made, their demands heard, their cause has been aired to the world and therefore killing hostages would only discredit them and theircause.

According to the FBI’s manual, the seven steps include:

Story continues below this ad

Minimal Encouragement: Negotiators must show they are listening attentively and are focused on the hijacker’s words. The responses need not be lengthy. Even relatively simple phrases, such as “Yes,” “O.K.,” or “I see,” effectively convey that a negotiator is paying attention. This encourages the hijacker to continue talking and gradually relinquish more control of the situation to the negotiator.

Paraphrasing: This means negotiators repeating in their own words the meaning of the hijacker’s messages back to them. This shows that negotiators are not only listening but also understanding what the subject is conveying.

Emotion Labelling: This allows negotiators to attach a tentative label to the feelings expressed or implied by the hijacker’s words and actions. Such labeling shows that negotiators are paying attention to the emotional aspects of what the hijacker is saying. When used effectively, this becomes one of themost powerful skills available to negotiators because it helps them identify the issues and feelings that drive the hijacker’s behaviour.

Mirroring: Under this, negotiators repeat only the last words or main idea of the hijacker’s message. It indicates both interest and understanding. For example, a hijacker may declare, “I’m sick and tired of being pushed around,” to which the negotiator can respond: “Feel pushed, is it?”

Open-ended Questions: Negotiators should avoid asking “why” questions, which could imply interrogation. When the subject speaks, negotiators gain greater insight into the subject’s intent. If negotiators do most of the talking, they decrease the opportunities to learn about the subject. Examples of effective open-ended questions include, “Can you tell me more about that?” “I didn’t understand what you just said; could you help me better understand by explaining that further?” and “Could you tell me more about what happened to you today?”

I-Messages: By using`I’ messages, a negotiator sheds the negotiator role and acts as any other person. In an unprovocative way, negotiators express how they feel when the subject does or says certain things.

For instance, a negotiator might say, “We have been talking for several hours and I feel frustrated that we haven’t been able to come to an agreement.” This technique also serves as an effective response when the hijacker verbally attacks the negotiator, who can respond, “I feel frustrated when you scream at me because I am trying to help you.”

According to the FBI’s manual, negotiators must avoid being pulled into an argument or trading personal attacks with a hijacker. An argumentative, sarcastic, or hostile tone could reinforce the hijacker’s already negative view of law enforcement.

Effective Pauses: Negotiators can use the power of silence for effect at appropriate times. People tend to speak to fill spaces in a conversation. Therefore, negotiators should, on occasion, consciously create a space or voidthat will encourage the hijacker to speak and, in the process, provide additional information.