John Richardson is a negotiation expert who has worked with the Harvard Negotiation Project and taught negotiation at institutions including Harvard and MIT. His work focuses on helping people understand the psychology of influence, persuasion, manipulation, and conflict resolution. In this conversation, John breaks down why asking better questions is often more powerful than making better arguments, how to negotiate with people who have more power than you, how to say no without damaging relationships, and why everyday life is full of negotiations—from work and money to marriage, parenting, and self-discipline.

Today on the show we discuss why asking better questions is the key to getting what you want, the difference between influence, persuasion, and manipulation, how to negotiate with people who have more power than you, why learning to say no builds confidence and self-respect, how to calm someone down when they’re angry or emotional, and why self-discipline is really negotiation with your future self and much more.

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