What do you think?
Rate this book
The Coordinator: Managing High-Risk High-Consequence Social Interactions in an Unfamiliar Environment
How should a law enforcement officer manage an encounter with someone who might be mentally unstable or in crisis--but does not appear to pose an immediate threat? How might a platoon commander engage with a foreign civilian who has key information for an intelligence-gathering mission, but is wary of sharing--maybe even being seen--with a stranger? In both cases, how does that officer remain prepared for something going terribly wrong at any moment, while still maintaining the intention and ability to help? What common skills do these scenarios--and many others like them--require? In The Coordinator, Ellis Amdur and Robert Hubal share their decades of experience working with law enforcement and military personnel in training and developing social interaction skills, particularly in 'high risk, high consequence' situations with individuals who may always view themselves as adversaries. The Coordinator is someone who is always trying to reach an accord with the other person, striving to establish community liaison, rapport, crisis management, and deescalation of aggression. The Coordinator maintains a focus on tactics, doing everything possible to enhance the safety of all people involved in the encounter. Simultaneously, the Coordinator strives to achieve a level of trust, engaging others with professionalism and respect. The Coordinator crafts the communication to form a working relationship to share in achieving the aims of the mission. "I have known Robert Hubal for many years, starting as a colleague at RTI International, and continuing to other training and educational efforts involving military and law enforcement. The Coordinator, a result of his collaboration with Ellis Amdur, offers a clear approach to confrontations with adversarial, potentially dangerous individuals. This 'Coordinator Mindset' focuses everyone involved on both the problems and resolution of an incident. From my over 40 years of service in the military and then in law enforcement, as well as my studies on interviewing and effective methods for training interviewing skills, I see these skills as valuable in military personnel at various levels as well as in the law enforcement and intelligence areas. This is a great book to have around to aid in achieving the best solution possible, while lowering the risk of the encounter turning violent, without compromising the military or law enforcement mission that brought one into the situation." - Dr. Don Gemeinhardt (Col. USAF Retired)
316 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2017
4 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Ellis Amdur
65 books46 followersEllis Amdur balances two careers, that as a crisis intervention specialist, through his company, Edgework and as a 50+ year practitioner of traditional Japanese martial arts. His writing meets right in the middle.
Among his non-fiction works are thirteen profession-specific books on verbal de-escalation of aggression, two books for hostage negotiators, two on the art of tactical communication with hostile individuals, one on the art of psychotherapy, and has edited a book by Evelyn & Shelley Amdur on the former's career as a hospice social worker.
He has written and published three books on martial arts, the iconoclastic Dueling with Osensei: Old School, a work on classical martial traditions and Hidden in Plain Sight, on esoteric knowledge within various martial traditions.
In fiction, he is a co-author of the graphic novel, Cimmaronin, and the author of two novels, The Girl with the Face of the Moon, and Lost Boy. His third novel, Little Bird & the Tiger, set in Meiji Japan, is due for release in 2023.
His books are considered unique in that he uses his own experiences, often hair-raising or outrageous, as illustrations of the principles about which he writes, but it is also backed by solid research, and boots-on-the-ground experience.
Among his non-fiction works are thirteen profession-specific books on verbal de-escalation of aggression, two books for hostage negotiators, two on the art of tactical communication with hostile individuals, one on the art of psychotherapy, and has edited a book by Evelyn & Shelley Amdur on the former's career as a hospice social worker.
He has written and published three books on martial arts, the iconoclastic Dueling with Osensei: Old School, a work on classical martial traditions and Hidden in Plain Sight, on esoteric knowledge within various martial traditions.
In fiction, he is a co-author of the graphic novel, Cimmaronin, and the author of two novels, The Girl with the Face of the Moon, and Lost Boy. His third novel, Little Bird & the Tiger, set in Meiji Japan, is due for release in 2023.
His books are considered unique in that he uses his own experiences, often hair-raising or outrageous, as illustrations of the principles about which he writes, but it is also backed by solid research, and boots-on-the-ground experience.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 20, 2020
I have worked in the military and law enforcement for nearly twenty years. In that time I have read a lot recommended reading. Some are better than others. The Coordinator: Managing High-Risk, High-Consequence Social Interactions in an Unfamiliar Environment made it to my own list of recommended reading.
I currently work in law enforcement crisis response or crisis intervention. Other books in this field often promote a vague concept of de-escalation to the point of a tactical dis-advantage. This is most likely because so much in this field is not written with the consideration that force can be an acceptable and necessary solution. What I value most about The Coordinator is that it immediately recognized the dichotomy of tactical advantage and interpersonal skills every law enforcement officer should master. The authors write, “Professionals who maintain tactical advantage have more ‘room’ to operate…Coordinators must retain an understanding that their role is to exert power, however subtly, to influence a problematic social interaction to the best outcome.”
During my career I have noticed officers often have difficulty articulating not only a suspect’s behavior, but their own intuition and perception as well. This book is consistent with all of the training I have had over the years in crisis intervention, behavioral analysis, tactical awareness, and threat assessment. What I find perhaps most useful in reading The Coordinator is that it brings to light so many of the learned tactics and behaviors I have adopted throughout my career. The authors describe this as, “a large part of your task as a trainer is developing the conscious awareness of skills you may already have, and the ability to physically embody them in a way that is immediately apparent to trainees.” This important task isn’t limited to trainers. It is an invaluable skill necessary for leaders and anyone who works in the field of crisis intervention. Crisis Intervention trained officers are looked to for guidance by not only their peers but the public as well. For this reason, I bought every member of my team a copy of this book. I will put this book in the hands of other officers who come through my unit on temporary assignments as well.
I currently work in law enforcement crisis response or crisis intervention. Other books in this field often promote a vague concept of de-escalation to the point of a tactical dis-advantage. This is most likely because so much in this field is not written with the consideration that force can be an acceptable and necessary solution. What I value most about The Coordinator is that it immediately recognized the dichotomy of tactical advantage and interpersonal skills every law enforcement officer should master. The authors write, “Professionals who maintain tactical advantage have more ‘room’ to operate…Coordinators must retain an understanding that their role is to exert power, however subtly, to influence a problematic social interaction to the best outcome.”
During my career I have noticed officers often have difficulty articulating not only a suspect’s behavior, but their own intuition and perception as well. This book is consistent with all of the training I have had over the years in crisis intervention, behavioral analysis, tactical awareness, and threat assessment. What I find perhaps most useful in reading The Coordinator is that it brings to light so many of the learned tactics and behaviors I have adopted throughout my career. The authors describe this as, “a large part of your task as a trainer is developing the conscious awareness of skills you may already have, and the ability to physically embody them in a way that is immediately apparent to trainees.” This important task isn’t limited to trainers. It is an invaluable skill necessary for leaders and anyone who works in the field of crisis intervention. Crisis Intervention trained officers are looked to for guidance by not only their peers but the public as well. For this reason, I bought every member of my team a copy of this book. I will put this book in the hands of other officers who come through my unit on temporary assignments as well.
October 22, 2017
I work as a Senior Manager in the IT industry in Europe. Given it’s subject matter and apparent emphasis on training law enforcement and military, I have found, to my surprise, that the Coordinator has helped me a lot with my current job. I act as a-kind-of-Coordinator, when trying to understand and cooperate with other Senior Managers of the company. We are an international organisation, and many of the managers I must cooperate with are of different nationalities with varying backgrounds and perspectives of the world based on their various cultures.
I found many of the teachings of the book very useful and directly applicable to my day-to-day activities. Building rapport with other managers without loosing my center or the purpose of my mission is a central challenge in the work of the manager. The breathing techniques that are presented have a universal application, and I have found myself using them many times in order to better control myself in the middle of an important meeting. Some other sections that go deep into human behaviour helped me better understand others as a means to cooperate with them. Although the scenarios and exercises in the training section apply to police officers or warfighters, I find that, with small modifications, they can be directly applied to training managers as well. This is something very crucial that is missing from today's managers’ training, especially in the IT industry, where managers tend to get selected for their technical skills rather than their ‘soft’ skills.
I found many of the teachings of the book very useful and directly applicable to my day-to-day activities. Building rapport with other managers without loosing my center or the purpose of my mission is a central challenge in the work of the manager. The breathing techniques that are presented have a universal application, and I have found myself using them many times in order to better control myself in the middle of an important meeting. Some other sections that go deep into human behaviour helped me better understand others as a means to cooperate with them. Although the scenarios and exercises in the training section apply to police officers or warfighters, I find that, with small modifications, they can be directly applied to training managers as well. This is something very crucial that is missing from today's managers’ training, especially in the IT industry, where managers tend to get selected for their technical skills rather than their ‘soft’ skills.
November 20, 2017
I found this book very interesting. Although it is focused on warfighting and policing, the authors provide
a precise method of how one can be trained in order to use tact and trust to gain control over unfamiliar situations in general.
The way they present the coordinator's core principles and the number of storylines and variations, helps a lot to understand
how all their concepts fit together in any given situation. I strongly recomended it.
a precise method of how one can be trained in order to use tact and trust to gain control over unfamiliar situations in general.
The way they present the coordinator's core principles and the number of storylines and variations, helps a lot to understand
how all their concepts fit together in any given situation. I strongly recomended it.
July 11, 2017
How can one achieve win conditions and work safely with individuals who are unstable, stressed and/or aggressive? "The Coordinator" teaches skills for doing just this while also providing ready made scenarios for either members of law enforcement or the military to test, strengthen and improve these skills.
As a former member of law enforcement I can say with confidence that this training would have significantly improved my preparation for many of the situations later faced post-academy.
As a former member of law enforcement I can say with confidence that this training would have significantly improved my preparation for many of the situations later faced post-academy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews