We’re always negotiating, but is there a way to negotiate without things getting toxic? Naseem Khuri says yes – and believes that understanding the principles of civil negotiations can advance your goals better than going in hot.

Khuri is communications director for Urban Rural Action, as well as a trainer, consultant, mediator, and facilitator specializing in negotiation, influence and conflict management. He’s also a professor of international relations at Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.