The Insightful Leader Live: What Hostage Negotiators Can Teach Us About Everyday Negotiations
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The Insightful Leader Live

A series of live, virtual events providing an hour of critical leadership and business insights from a Kellogg professor.

Thursday, December 3, 2026 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CST

The Insightful Leader Live: What Hostage Negotiators Can Teach Us About Everyday Negotiations

Negotiating the release of a political hostage is one of the most high-stakes situations imaginable. But it shares best practices with even the most routine disputes, such as bargaining the terms of a job offer or equitably dividing up household chores. In this complimentary webinar, Cynthia Wang, a clinical professor of management and organizations at Kellogg, and Danielle Gilbert, an assistant professor of political science at Northwestern, share core skills that enable effective negotiations. They discuss the importance of perspective-taking, the need to recognize stakeholders who aren’t at the table, and the way these strategies lead to successful agreements in both international diplomacy and the business world.

Cynthia Wang is a Clinical Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She is also the Executive Director of the Dispute Resolution and Research Center (DRRC) and Kellogg Teaching Resources (KTR). Her research interests include intergroup relations, intergroup-conflict management, cultural and social diversity, and negotiations.

Danielle Gilbert is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University. Her research explores the causes and consequences of hostage-taking in international security, including projects on rebel kidnapping, hostage-recovery policy, and hostage diplomacy.

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