J. Paul Nadeau

travels from Canada

Motivational speaker on business negotiations, conflict resolution and increasing employee loyalty

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Keynote speaker J. Paul Nadeau’s experiences as a former hostage negotiator, police detective and international peacekeeper have taught him that we are all more alike than we are different. By treating each other with compassion and understanding, we inspire others to make better choices and gain their trust. His principles have enabled him to the minds of even the toughest of ‘clients’ more than once and they inspire and teach you the skills to positively influence the behaviour of others.

When considering a keynote speaker or lecturer on the topics of negotiating for success (in life and in business), conflict resolution or simply to motivate your staff or group to be the very best they can be, J. Paul Nadeau is an excellent choice for your next seminar or business event. Why? J. Paul Nadeau has a background unlike 95% of other speakers delivering similar keynotes on these same topics. He has experienced first-hand how to negotiate and resolve conflict with some of the toughest of ‘clients’ imaginable, and his approach has resulted in a 100% success rate with hostage takers and persons in crisis and 90% in drawing confessions from hardened criminals. How does that translate to your world and your negotiations? Many of your clients may be in a state of crisis or at the very least are looking for solutions when there’s so much to consider. The principles in use today by hostage negotiators when dealing with crisis’ and negotiations are tried and true steps to building relationships and influencing behavior, and that’s precisely what is needed in today’s business world. J. Paul Nadeau has developed a negotiation model that’s easy to remember and follow, and it works to tear down walls and build bridges. His approach results in agreements of mutual satisfaction and cooperation. They translate to more personal and business success.

A retired police detective who completed an exemplary 31-year police service career, specializing in Hostage and Crisis Negotiation, International Peace Keeping, Counter Terrorism, Sexual Assault/Child Abuse Investigations, Professional Interrogations and Polygraph, Paul knows how to connect and earn the respect and cooperation from his ‘clients,’ and he teaches his proven methods to you in his keynotes and seminars. An admired and sought-after international instructor, he has received the highest recommendations from the International Peace Keeping Branch, United Nations, The Office of the Independent Police Review Director, among many others. In 2005, Paul successfully negotiated a suspected terrorist off a 747 in Paris, France, without incident or injury to passengers & crew. He is now a regular consultant for CNN, CBC World News, The National, Global News, CP24, The Star and other news media services for his Hostage Negotiations, International Peace Keeping and Terrorists expertise.

As Canada’s most highly recognized Hostage Negotiator, Paul’s daily challenges involved getting suspects to admit to heinous crimes, free hostages and surrender to the police and negotiate with people in crisis. His keynotes will touch your heart, stimulate your mind and have you applying winning techniques immediately. A story teller extraordinaire, Paul’s keynotes resonate with his audiences.

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Keynote by speaker J. Paul Nadeau

Family values: Run your organization how you would a perfect family

How do you create loyal and happy employees? Through fulfillment. Studies show that 90% of the workforce feel unfulfilled in their given positions. According to J. Paul, businesses are being run too much like businesses. In this talk, he presents his secret to success and happy workplaces where everyone has each other’s backs.
In J. Paul’s experience as a police officer and peacekeeper, he came to understand the mentality that every military officer ought to have: nobody, absolutely nobody should be left behind. This mentality has proven to create loyal employees who help each other and fight for one goal.
The audience will discover the role of the CEO, supervisors and mentors and how to create fulfillment for others. J. Paul shares his secret to treating everyone like family members, build trust and create better and more authentic service inside and outside the organization.

Keynote by speaker J. Paul Nadeau

Business and ‘life’ negotiations

Everyone negotiates, every day of their lives, be it in business or in personal matters. Negotiations are simply quests for agreements, and understanding that it is your right to ask for an agreement or deal, no matter the circumstances, is the very first step in reaching those agreements – providing you’ve established the ground work for doing so.
Before you ask for any commitment – if you plan to succeed – there are a few simple steps that must be taken to build that bridge to ‘yes’. J. Paul Nadeau will provide you and your staff with those steps in a keynote or workshop that takes you through his 4 simple principles to help you reach your very best outcomes.

Keynote by speaker J. Paul Nadeau

Conflict resolution

Most people completely avoid conflict or are fearful to approach it, even when it’s unavoidable and begs to be addressed in order to resolve a disconnection between businesses or individuals. The reason for that avoidance often comes down to how we look at conflict.
As a former hostage negotiator, international peacekeeper (whose life was saved by a terrorist during a deadly conflict) and criminal interrogator, J. Paul has been personally involved in hundreds of situations involving conflict that drew on his expertise to resolve, often saving lives and building relationships. In part, his approach involves seeing conflict as opportunity. Opportunity to address conflicting points of view, opportunity to understanding others and opportunity to open the channels of communication, enabling the aggrieved parties to build trust, respect and understanding.
Let J. Paul Nadeau teach you proven and easy methods to resolve conflict in a way you may never have imagined possible. Through story-telling and key points, J. Paul will help you deal with your most difficult clients (or staff) and help you tear down walls and build bridges.

Keynote by speaker J. Paul Nadeau

Taking control of your life – lessons on personal and business motivation

Life and business can be challenging. Many of us sabotage ourselves by what we tell ourselves or by what others have told us. Many of us fear moving forward and living the life we deserve to live because we don’t know how. Before we can achieve most worth while things in life, we need to leave our difficult pasts behind, focus on our internal strengths and believe in our strengths. What holds many of us back from feeling capable of doing that is fear. That, or allowing past failures or experiences to dictate our futures – all of which is part of our human condition.
In J. Paul Nadeau’s acclaimed book, “Take Control of Your Life,” he draws on his own past and that of many victims of crime who have risen above fear to take control of their lives to live the lives they deserve to live. Nadeau has been taught by some of the very best and has used the principles of success in his own life. Whether it’s your staff needing to be motivated and energized to reach their full potential or an organization dealing with individuals looking for hope, J. Paul Nadeau has a keynote for you.
His book and keynotes on this topic have helped many people from all walks of life: CEO’s in finding renewed energy, employees in re-establishing motivation, individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress, depression and loss of hope, victims of sexual abuse or domestic violence, and more. His book is among the highest ranked in Amazon on the topic of sexual abuse and abuse in general. J. Paul Nadeau can modify his keynote or session to meet your individual needs and each session is based on his popular book.

Watch speaker J. Paul Nadeau in action

Finding humanity amid terrorism and global unrest | TEDx Talk

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10.30.2017

Interview with J. Paul Nadeau

By treating others with compassion and understanding, what aspects of your life have been affected?

I chose a career in law enforcement. That meant that I dealt with many situations involving crisis and danger. I discovered that when I treated people the way that I wanted to be treated myself, the outcome was always far much better. So much so that that approach to dealing with people saved my life more than once. This approach saved my life in the Middle East when I was about to be killed by terrorists. Not only did this approach work in my professional life, it also worked in my personal life. It’s a recipe for success.

That said, treating others with compassion is often easier said than done; which are the most difficult challenges have you had to face when trying to act with compassion, and how did you overcome them?

I would have to disagree with the statement that it is far easier said than done. Why should it be so difficult? The problem is, as I see it, that we simply need to remind ourselves to separate a person’s actions from who they really are, deep down inside. For example, if a person has wronged us, we tend to focus more on the wrongdoing than we do on the person and how we can mend the broken bridge. We need to put the wrongdoing aside at first to establish rapport and connection and open dialogue. In this way the other person is more willing to listen and we are both more willing at reaching understanding.

What skills are needed to be a good negotiator?

Active listening skills are by far one of the best skills a hostage negotiator can have. That sprinkled with patience and focus. People in crisis, a hostage taker for example, can be very confused and uncertain. As in any type of conflict, one of the best things to allow a person to do is to let them talk without interruption. And when I talk about “active” listening, that in no way involves thinking about what you’re going to say next. It is really about being in the moment with the other individual to let them express themselves so that you are then in a better position to help them.

Can you give some tips for how to stay cool-headed in stressful situations?

I certainly can. Slow things down. Take deep breaths and be open and honest. If you need a moment with the person you are in conflict with, say so. There’s nothing wrong in saying something like, “I really want us to resolve this but I need just a few moments here to catch my breath. I want us to work this out.”

Recognize that you must remain in control of your own emotions if you hope to resolve the situation amicably. Don’t rush anyone or dismiss how they feel. Understand that the person across from you is more similar to you than they are different. Ask yourself how you would like to be treated by the other person, then treat the other person accordingly.

What do you gain personally from being a public speaker?

For me, it’s spreading a good message and helping others. What a wonderful feeling it is to share your years of experience and knowledge with someone who can then immediately use it to help improve their present and future circumstances. I get such joy of sharing my stories and the lessons that I learned from my stories with others and then hear how they were able to use it to their benefit. That is such a reward.

Who or what inspires/motivates you to do your best?

I motivate myself. My inspiration comes from hope and belief in myself, my vision and my aspirations. I remind myself that I have a choice every day to be happy or to be sad, to be kind or to be cruel. I know that only by working hard and remaining focused can I succeed in life, love and profession, and I act accordingly. I’m also inspired by the stories of other people who have faced challenges in their lives only to choose to overcome whatever obstacles were in their way and succeed. I love motivational stories! They help motivate me immensely.

See keynotes with J. Paul Nadeau