Hostage negotiation

Derek GauntFormer law-enforcement officer and hostage-negotiation team commander, Black Swan Group coach and author of Fight Less, Win More

• Gaunt calls negotiation a guided discovery process and names silence as the most overlooked tactic.

  “Negotiation is a guided discovery process. If you are talking, you are not discovering anything”

  Mick Unplugged: Derek Gaunt: Fight Less, Win More Through Tactical Empathy (Oct 1, 2026) · Listen from 54:13

• Gaunt says that as a hostage negotiator he opened calls by acknowledging fear and asking how the situation arose rather than issuing commands.

  “First question is, I know you're scared to death. How did we get here today? And immediately it catches them off guard”

  Mick Unplugged: Derek Gaunt: Fight Less, Win More Through Tactical Empathy (Oct 1, 2026) · Listen from 13:28

• Gaunt advises against leading with your goal because your decision is based on incomplete information and may change.

  “I never encourage leading with your goal and objective because your goal and objective may change based on what you learn within that conversation”

  Mick Unplugged: Derek Gaunt: Fight Less, Win More Through Tactical Empathy (Oct 1, 2026) · Listen from 13:57