Canonical · Negotiation & Persuasion · Book

Never Split the Difference

Chris Voss · 2016

"The FBI's top hostage negotiator argues that logic loses to emotion in real negotiations — so the job is to hear and label the other side's feelings before you ever propose a number."

The idea

Chris Voss spent 24 years talking kidnappers into releasing hostages. His conclusion after leaving the FBI: 'splitting the difference' — the compromise everyone's taught to seek — is usually a bad deal for both sides.

Why it works

The takeaway — recall it first

Getting to Yes

"Negotiation goes better when you separate the people from the problem and argue over underlying interests instead of fixed positions."

Roger Fisher & William Ury · BookContinue→