My work takes different forms – from researching and training high-stakes communication to bringing people and ideas together and supporting the development of students and colleagues.
These activities may look quite different, but three themes keep coming back.
Communicating when the stakes are high
Some conversations take place under extraordinary circumstances. There may be uncertainty, strong emotions, conflicting interests or very little room for error. In these situations, communication is not simply about choosing the right words – it is about understanding what is happening between people and being able to adapt.
Much of my research focuses on these interactions. I study communication in contexts such as crisis negotiation, investigative interviewing and ransomware negotiation, with a particular interest in what happens when communication becomes difficult or goes wrong.
I bring this knowledge into practice through training, workshops and talks. Rather than offering a fixed programme, I like to connect scientific insights to the situations professionals actually encounter. Depending on the setting, this can involve theory, discussion, real-world examples, role play or technology-supported training.
The aim is not to provide a script for the perfect conversation. It is to help professionals better understand communication dynamics, reflect on their own approach and expand the range of ways they can respond when things become difficult.
Research · Training · Workshops · Talks
Crisis negotiation
Understanding how communication can help build contact, make sense of a crisis and move an interaction towards a safer outcome.
Suspect/victim interviewing
Exploring how rapport, communication and the way we respond when things go wrong can influence information sharing and cooperation.
Responding to concerning behaviour
Exploring how professionals can better understand and respond to behaviour that may be difficult to interpret, particularly in situations where communication and safety are closely connected.
Ransomware negotiation
Understanding the communication and influence dynamics that emerge when organisations negotiate with cybercriminals under pressure and uncertainty.
Over the years, I have worked with professionals in different areas of safety and security, including police crisis negotiators, detectives and ransomware negotiators. Topics have ranged from communication errors and their recovery to communication and influence in high-stakes interactions.
Explore my research and ideas.
Bridging different worlds
Research, practice and policy often look at the same challenges from very different perspectives. I enjoy working at the point where those worlds meet – helping people find one another, understand what each can contribute and discover opportunities to work together.
A large part of this happens through my role at the Center for Security and Digitalization (CVD), where I help connect questions from practice with relevant knowledge and expertise from research and education. This builds on a broader thread throughout my work of connecting researchers, practitioners and policymakers, particularly within the safety and security domain.
Sometimes that leads to a research collaboration, sometimes to an educational initiative or an introduction, and sometimes simply to a useful conversation between people who might otherwise not have met.
So if you have a question and are wondering “who should I talk to about this?”, feel free to reach out. I may not be the person with the answer, but I might know someone who is.
Science · Practice · Policy · Connections
Finding direction together
One of the parts of my work I value is supporting students and colleagues as they figure out what makes them tick, where their strengths lie and what direction they would like to take.
For me, mentoring is not about telling someone what their next step should be. It is about creating space to explore – asking questions, thinking along, sharing experiences and sometimes helping someone see possibilities they had not considered before.
This is part of how I approach student supervision, but also how I like to work with colleagues. I enjoy seeing people develop their own ideas and confidence and gradually find a way of working that fits who they are.
There does not always need to be a predetermined destination. Sometimes finding direction starts with becoming more aware of what gives you energy, what sparks your curiosity and what you would like to develop further.
Supervision · Mentoring · Development
Interested in working together?
Not everything fits neatly into one of these three themes.
If you are interested in my research, looking for a talk or training, see an opportunity to collaborate, are looking for a connection within my network, or simply have an idea you would like to explore, feel free to get in touch.