Central Negotiation
About
Central Negotiations is a professional training company specializing in negotiation, de-escalation, and effective communication for public safety agencies and private organizations.
Our instructors are active and retired hostage and crisis negotiators with decades of combined real-world experience. We take communication principles proven in high-stakes environments and transform them into practical strategies professionals can immediately apply.
Proven in Practice
Central Negotiations developed Tactical Negotiations Training (TNT), a comprehensive negotiation and de-escalation program delivered throughout Massachusetts to law enforcement officers, mental health clinicians, and emergency dispatchers.
To date, more than 1,000 police officers, clinicians, and dispatchers have been trained in our techniques.
Our approach centers around three objectives:
Gather Information. Build Rapport. Create Behavior Change.
Beyond the Crisis
The principles that make communication effective during a crisis are equally valuable in the workplace.
Central Negotiations has delivered negotiation and communication training nationally, including specialized programs for procurement professionals and organizational teams. Our private-sector training serves leaders, sales and procurement teams, security professionals, HR professionals, customer-facing employees, and others who regularly navigate difficult conversations.
Programs focus on active listening, strategic influence, rapport development, emotional intelligence, negotiation, de-escalation, conflict management, and communication under pressure.
Our Training
Programs include Tactical Negotiations Training, Advanced De-Escalation for Security Professionals, The Art of Effective Communication, Co-Response Crisis Negotiations, ICAT, procurement negotiation training, and customized workshops.
Training can be tailored to an organization's specific challenges and delivered in person or virtually, allowing us to work with teams nationwide.
Experience Behind the Training
Our instructors don't simply teach communication theory—they have used these techniques when the stakes were real.
That experience allows us to bring practical lessons from crisis negotiation into everything from de-escalating a person in crisis to managing workplace conflict and navigating high-value business negotiations.
Our Mission
Our mission is to take communication strategies forged in some of the most demanding environments imaginable and make them practical, teachable, and applicable to the conversations that matter most.
Prepare. Adapt. Advance.
Certificates of completion are available for Central Negotiations training programs.
Our services
Full Day Negotiation Training (Private Sector)
Grounded in the core elements of crisis negotiation—active listening, emotional intelligence, influence strategies, and structured communication—this program equips professionals to navigate high-stakes conversations with clarity and confidence. Participants will learn how to de-escalate tense interactions, manage internal and external conflicts, strengthen relationships with clients and partners, and secure favorable outcomes during complex negotiations.
A key feature of this training is its customization. Each session is tailored to the organization’s industry, personnel, internal dynamics, and negotiation challenges. Whether supporting procurement teams, HR departments, executives, sales teams, leadership groups, or cross-functional units, the curriculum is adapted to reflect real-world scenarios, organizational goals, and the specific communication demands of your environment.
By the end of the program, participants will leave with a refined toolkit of negotiation tactics applicable to contract discussions, workplace conflicts, client interactions, crisis situations, and high-pressure decision-making.
Tactical Negotiations Training (TNT)
Join us for a specialized two-day in person training for Law Enforcement, Mental Health Clinicians and Dispatchers. This course equips responders with the tools and skills necessary to de-escalate critical incidents. Tactical Negotiations Training emphasizes the following:
- Integration of negotiation techniques with tactical and physical response
options.
- Legal authorities and risk-based decision making during well being checks,
mental health and crisis events.
- De-escalation strategies for high-risk and emotionally disturbed subjects.
- Coordinated response between Law enforcement, Dispatchers and Mental
Health Clinicians.
- Interactive, scenario-based training using realistic crisis incidents.
Certificate provided upon completion.
Upcoming Trainings:
1/12/27-1/13/27: Somerville PD
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/xfc5wjz
2/3/27-2/4/27: Beverly PD
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/2htsufa
3/23/27- 3/24/27: Holyoke PD
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/48tvqak
4/21/27 - 4/22/27: Worcester PD
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/bkzh3ny
6/9/27- 6/10/27 : Andover PD
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/ae5q9r6
Register Today
ICAT
Through scenario-based training, case studies, and hands-on exercises, participants will develop the confidence and skills needed to navigate challenging encounters while prioritizing safety and resolution.
Certificate provided upon completion.
Advanced De-Escalation for Security Professionals
Join us for a specialized four-hour training designed for security professionals who regularly manage challenging, emotional, and potentially volatile interactions. This course applies proven communication strategies used by experience Massachusetts SWAT Negotiation team leaders to help security personnel recognize escalation, build rapport, influence behavior and improve safety.
This course emphasizes:
-Recognizing behavior and verbal indicators of escalation.
- Proven SWAT negotiation strategies and communication techniques.
- Active listening, rapport building, emotional labeling and information gathering.
- Setting boundaries while maintaining professionalism and safety.
- Influencing behavior toward voluntary cooperation and better outcomes.
Certificate available upon completion.
The Art of Communication
De-Escalation & Communication Strategies for the Private Sector
Effective communication can change the direction of a difficult conversation. The Art of Communication takes proven strategies used in SWAT hostage and crisis negotiation and adapts them for the challenges professionals face every day.
Taught by active and retired SWAT hostage negotiators, this interactive 4-hour training focuses on the communication process behind successful conflict resolution and behavioral influence. Participants will learn how to gather critical information, build rapport, recognize what is driving another person’s behavior, reduce tension, influence conversations, and create positive behavior change.
Rather than relying on scripts or one-size-fits-all techniques, the course provides practical communication strategies that can be applied to difficult employees, challenging customers, workplace conflict, high-pressure conversations, leadership situations, and other interactions where cooperation matters.
Designed for professionals in leadership, HR, security, sales, customer service, healthcare, education, management, and other client-facing roles, this course bridges lessons from high-stakes negotiation with real-world workplace communication.
Participants leave with practical tools they can immediately apply to communicate more effectively, manage conflict, and navigate difficult conversations with greater confidence and purpose.
Certificate of completion provided.
Virtual Negotiation Training (Private Sector)
This focused, four-hour live virtual negotiation program brings the proven principles of hostage negotiation into the private sector, providing professionals with practical strategies for navigating difficult conversations, strengthening relationships, and influencing better outcomes.
Grounded in the core elements of crisis negotiation, participants will learn how to gather information, build rapport, identify underlying motivations, manage emotional or resistant individuals, and strategically create behavior change.
The program explores active listening, emotional intelligence, advanced de-escalation, strategic questioning, influence and structured communication.
Like our full-day program, this training is customized to your organization and audience. Whether working with sales teams, procurement professionals, HR, executives, leadership groups, or client-facing personnel, examples and discussions are adapted to the challenges participants actually encounter.
Participants will leave with practical strategies that they can immediately apply to negotiations, client interactions, workplace conflicts, and other high-stakes conversations.
Live Virtual Instruction | 4 Hours | Customized to your organization
Taught by Active and Retired SWAT Hostage Negotiators
Our Leadership Team
Justin Bonina
Justin Bonina is a Massachusetts Patrol Sergeant, SWAT negotiation team leader, and co-founder of Central Negotiations. He currently serves as Team Leader for the CEMLEC SWAT Negotiation Team and has responded to numerous critical incidents involving armed barricades, active suicide attempts, and various other high-risk situations.
Justin holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master of Public Administration. His specialized training includes FBI Basic Crisis Negotiations, Advanced Hostage Negotiations, and Harvard Business School’s Mastery of Negotiation program.
Through Central Negotiations, Justin has helped develop and deliver negotiation, de-escalation, and communication training to law enforcement officers, clinicians, dispatchers, security professionals, and private-sector organizations. He is the creator of Tactical Negotiations Training (TNT), which has been delivered to more than 1,000 law enforcement officers, mental health clinicians and dispatchers across Massachusetts. Central Negotiations has also received state funding through the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health to expand crisis-negotiation training statewide.
Beyond public safety, Justin works with organizations to translate principles of hostage negotiation into practical strategies for leadership, difficult conversations, conflict management and procurement. Central Negotiations has delivered customized trainings for corporate and professional audiences, helping participants better understand human behavior, gather information, build rapport and manage emotionally charged conversations toward productive outcomes.
Bob Bonina
Bob Bonina is a retired Massachusetts police officer, former SWAT negotiation team leader, and co-founder of Central Negotiations. During more than 33 years in law enforcement, Bob served in patrol, investigations, and spent 17 years as a SWAT operator. In 2009 he then developed the position and became CEMLEC SWAT's first Negotiator, holding the Negotiation Team Leader position for 14 years.
Bob completed FBI crisis negotiation training along with multiple advanced negotiation courses and spent more than a decade leading and developing negotiators for high-risk incidents throughout Central Massachusetts. He also helped establish and train the Worcester House of Correction Crisis Negotiation Team and was an early advocate for integrating mental health clinicians into SWAT operations.
Since retiring from law enforcement, Bob has continued teaching negotiation, de-escalation, and crisis communication to law enforcement, clinicians, security professionals, and private-sector organizations through Central Negotiations.
His work focuses on practical communication strategies, human behavior, rapport building, influence, and managing difficult or emotionally charged interactions.
Published Articles
SWAT SECRETS
Negotiate Like Lives Depend on It (4 Min. Read) Vol. 4
SWAT SECRETS
Build Trust Like a Pro (4 Min. Read) Vol. 5
SWAT SECRETS
DREAM, Don’t Dread: SWAT Secrets Finale (4 Min. Read) Vol. 6
Testimonials
"The D.R.E.A.M. framework will be highly beneficial for me in pre-planning my negotiations with clients."
Amazon Global Procurement Team
October 2025
"I never realized how similar the core principles of negotiations were between hostage negotiations and procurement negotiations."
Amazon Global Procurement Team
October 2025
"They were flawless, displaying a perfect combination of grace, confidence and composure that left everyone in the room captivated."
Chief of Police
November 2025
"Wonderful presentation. It's evident that you both are extremely passionate about negotiations which made it easy to stay engaged. This was professionally done and highly relatable."
Police Sgt
June 2025
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