We have all faced times when we felt at a disadvantage, that the other person held all the cards, and we knew the next conversation with them would be difficult; whether with a client, a stakeholder or colleague and dreaded the thought of it. Maybe you put it off, delayed it or simply avoided it, but what if every conversation was a difficult one, and delaying or avoiding it was not an option because someone’s life depended on it. As a former police hostage negotiator Kevin Taylor is used to dealing with difficult conversations from kidnap negotiations to suicide interventions. In an interactive session, Kevin will share his experience and provide you with techniques and skills to manage even the most difficult of conversations, where active listening is a vital skill.
Kevin Taylor
As a Hostage Negotiator Kevin has years of experience communicating in the most difficult and challenging situations, from Kidnap and Barricade Siege Negotiation to Suicide Intervention and negotiating the surrender of Dangerous Offenders at large. With over 27 years experience in a wide variety of policing disciplines, his experience includes both overt and covert policing roles; and ranges from walking the beat as a uniformed officer to a senior leadership role as a Chief Inspector responsible operational policing.
A UK trained hostage negotiator and graduate of the FBI’s hostage negotiation program, Kevin is passionate about the work of hostage negotiators and continues to be one of the driving forces behind the development of hostage negotiation, and kidnap negotiation training in the UK and overseas.
With extensive experience at both operational and strategic levels, Kevin is a practitioner who brings a unique real world perspective on the power of communication in de-escalating crisis situations.
Kevin’s passion for his work coupled with his ability to engage an audience and translate his knowledge, experience and the lessons learned throughout his career, into the workplace have seen him become recognised as an inspirational thought leader in the areas of high pressure negotiation, influence and persuasion, leadership and dealing with conflict. Kevin now works across a wide variety of sectors from Elite Sports to Marketing and the Pharmaceutical sector. A fantastic storyteller he draws on his extensive experience gained through some of the most challenging situations imaginable, to engage and keep his audience entertained whilst they learn vital skills for the workplace and life.