Review: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: The tips and tricks of negotiation from a retired FBI negotiator

Any conversation between two humans is a negotiation at some degree. Chris Voss through his years as a professional negotiator usually in life and death situations takes the learnings from his experience and shares it in a simple to digest manner often linking the true case studies on where it worked or not. Leveraging concepts like active listening, tactical empathy and not sympathy to using the power of no or mirroring or setting the fairness of a negotiation - there are multiple aspects he shares that can be incorporated into the real world as the average person.

Open ended questions, summarising through the power of 3 what the other side is asking for are some simple techniques that can help a hostile negotiation turn into win-win for both sides with the pivot set by you and also facts like compromise / reaching half way is like wearing a black and a brown shoe on each foot.

This is a good book to be aware about both as a negotiator and someone who is on the receiving end of the negotiation.

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