Chris Voss: Never Split the Difference

Chris Voss is the Founder and CEO of the Black Swan Group and the author of Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It*. Chris was the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the FBI’s hostage negotiation representative for the National Security Council’s Hostage Working Group.

Key Points

Compromise is a dirty word.

Really smart people often have trouble being negotiators.

Negotiation is not just a rational conversation, but brings in the emotion of both parties.

A successful negotiation is one where the other party walks away respecting you after the interaction.

Beware of anchoring high at the start of a conversation as it may exclude you from an even better outcome.

Resources Mentioned

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss*

The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence by Adam Grant

Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In* by Roger Fisher and William Ury

Related Episodes

How to Get Way Better at Accepting Feedback, with Sheila Heen (episode 143)

How to Be a Non-Conformist, with Adam Grant (episode 238)

How Women Make Stronger, Smarter Choices, with Therese Huston (episode 255)

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