The Persuasion Occasion brings together a wide range of experts to talk with David Biderman and Jasmine Wetherell, a boomer and a millennial, about how to be more persuasive.

In our first episode, we welcome Gary Noesner, who shares insights from his career as the lead negotiator with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Gary tells us how his strategy of patience and empathy was overruled in the Waco negotiations with the Branch Davidians, leading to disastrous consequences. He also discusses the importance of self-control and emotional regulation in any negotiation and illustrates how emotions can affect rational thinking and behavior.

Gary Noesner retired from the FBI in 2003, following a 30-year career as an investigator, instructor, and negotiator. He retired as the chief of the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Unit, Critical Incident Response Group, the first person to hold that position. He then served as a senior vice president with Control Risks, a global risk and strategic consulting firm, assisting clients in managing overseas kidnapping incidents. Gary has authored a book about his FBI negotiation career, Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator.