Leadership Luncheon - Verbal Influence in Leadership Roles

Scott’s talk will introduce his approach to verbal influence and focus on how it can be used by those in leadership roles to improve their communication and influence. He will demonstrate how attendees can use the skills of crisis and hostage negotiators to perform at their best under pressure and bring greater value to their personal and professional lives. 


Scott Tillema is a lieutenant with the Schaumburg Police Department and has been a police officer in Schaumburg since 2002. Currently, he serves as the department’s coordinator of training and emergency services. 

Lieutenant Tillema is a FBI trained hostage negotiator, having spent over 7 years with the largest multi-jurisdictional municipal SWAT team in the United States. He is a nationally recognized leader in the field of police hostage and crisis negotiations. Scott is a nationally recognized speaker in the field of police negotiations, having presented to thousands of police negotiators at conferences across the country and has also delivered a TEDx Talk, where he presented, “The Secrets of Hostage Negotiators.”

Educationally, Scott holds a master’s degree in psychology and has received negotiation training at Harvard University and IMD Business School. In addition to his work in Schaumburg, he is a co-founder of The Negotiations Collective, and a faculty member with the Schranner Negotiation Institute.