Nigel Taberner is a former UK hostage negotiator and Detective Inspector who now helps organisations master communication, influence, and negotiation under pressure. Drawing on decades of frontline policing and counter-terrorism experience, he equips leaders and teams with practical tools to build trust, resolve conflict, and influence outcomes.

Nigel spent over 30 years with Greater Manchester Police and Counter-Terrorism Policing North West, rising to the rank of Detective Inspector. During his decade as a specialist hostage negotiator, he successfully resolved more than 130 high-risk incidents, including armed sieges, kidnappings, and suicide interventions, without a single fatality. He has trained negotiators across the UK and internationally, working with police forces, Special Forces personnel, and agencies including the FBI, as well as colleagues in Finland and Australia.

Through his stories from the negotiation front line, Nigel demonstrates how the skills that saved lives apply directly to business challenges. He shows how hostage negotiators build trust rapidly, de-escalate conflict, and make critical decisions whilst managing their own emotions. These same techniques help organisations improve communication, manage difficult conversations, strengthen leadership capability, and enhance team performance.

Audiences learn to listen at an elite level, how to influence, even without leverage, and navigate high-pressure conversations. Nigel's interactive masterclasses give teams hands-on practice with these techniques, whilst his conference speeches combine gripping storytelling with immediately applicable tools.

Book Nigel to transform how your team communicates, negotiates, and performs under pressure using methods proven in life-or-death situations.