Name: Vojtech's review of Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
Item: Never Split the Difference
Rating: 5
Author: Vojtech

Chris Voss

Tahl Raz

A former international hostage negotiator for the FBI offers a new, field-tested approach to high-stakes negotiations—whether in the boardroom or at home. After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a hostage negotiator brought him face-to-face with a range of criminals, including bank robbers and terrorists. Reaching the pinnacle of his profession, he became the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator. Never Split the Difference takes you inside the world of high-stakes negotiations and into Voss’s head, revealing the skills that helped him and his colleagues succeed where it mattered most: saving lives. In this practical guide, he shares the nine effective principles—counterintuitive tactics and strategies—you too can use to become more persuasive in both your professional and personal life. Life is a series of negotiations you should be prepared for: buying a car, negotiating a salary, buying a home, renegotiating rent, deliberating with your partner. Taking emotional intelligence and intuition to the next level, Never Split the Difference gives you the competitive edge in any discussion.

Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Never Split the Difference

Syrina Akbari

'A master of persuasion.' Forbes 'This book blew my mind.' Adam Grant, bestselling author of Originals A former FBI hostage negotiator offers a new, field-tested approach to negotiating – effective in any situation. After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a kidnapping negotiator brought him face-to-face with bank robbers, gang leaders and terrorists. Never Split the Difference takes you inside his world of high-stakes negotiations, revealing the nine key principles that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered the most – when people’s lives were at stake. Rooted in the real-life experiences of an intelligence professional at the top of his game, Never Split the Difference will give you the competitive edge in any discussion. 'Filled with insights that apply to everyday negotiations.' Business Insider 'A stupendous book.' The Week 'It's rare that a book is so gripping and entertaining while still being actionable and applicable.' Inc.

Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

Serah

Piet Terheyden

Vojtech

Sarah Schumacher

Deserving of the high reviews; lots of great information.

'A master of persuasion.' Forbes'This book blew my mind.' Adam Grant, bestselling author of OriginalsA former FBI hostage negotiator offers a new, field-tested approach to negotiating - effective in any situation. After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a kidnapping negotiator brought him face-to-face with bank robbers, gang leaders and terrorists. Never Split the Differencetakes you inside his world of high-stakes negotiations, revealing the nine key principles that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered the most - when people?s lives were at stake. Rooted in the real-life experiences of an intelligence professional at the top of his game, Never Split the Differencewill give you the competitive edge in any discussion.'Filled with insights that apply to everyday negotiations.' Business Insider'A stupendous book.' The Week'It's rare that a book is so gripping and entertaining while still being actionable and applicable.' Inc.

Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on it

Stories from an expert negotiator, on how people's minds work and how to get the best from other people while also improving your situation. You can apply techniques to many other situations in life.

ben thomas

Tuago

Fun read with engaging stories about the author’s work in CIA hostage negotiations. 

It gives some great learnings on how to approach negotiations and get more information out of your counterpart so that you end up in a better position.

I found myself using the tools in this book to negotiate with my toddler, who's going through a tantrum phase.

It was gripping at times and comical. The author does a great job of making you feel like you're in the room while he regales stories of successes and failures throughout his career.

jason birchall

I found myself using the tools in this book to negotiate with my toddler, who's going through a tantrum phase.

It was gripping at times and comical. The author does a great job of making you feel like you're in the room while he regales stories of successes and failures throughout his career.

Matthew Royal

Voss shares his "magic formulas" for negotiating. He seems to think they're foolproof, and befuddle the academics, but they seem easily gameable if you identify someone's using one of his strategies. Still, there's value in understanding anchoring, mirroring, and tactical empathy, so despite its weaknesses, this book gets a 4.5 from me and goes into my toolbox and reread pile.

Saud K

Oz Lubling

This book definitely gets a lot of hype out there, but I think it’s partially deserved. The advice and techniques are applicable to many life scenarios. Even if you never use any of them, understanding how they work is a helpful education in human psychology.

poprika

Arturo Hernández

I listened to this on Audible and it was a good selection. The author was the one who read the book on the version I chose and he did a very good job at it (he mentions this is needed for though negotiations even, a specific voice tone). It provides an interesting insight into the psychology of negotiations in all sorts of situations and functions as a very instructive how-to guide. I would have loved to hear more examples of how to apply the strategies he mentioned throughout though.

Love it, will re read it. Good insights with wonderful stories and relations to real life. 

Patrick Ludewig

Nour sabrine

Second time reading this book and it never fails to amaze me. 

This book is great for negotiators, business people, or anyone wanting to learn the art of negotiation.

A thoroughly bookmarked copy would also be the most welcome. The techniques are mostly illustrated through stories of the author and you can put them into practice right away. 

A great addition would be to learn more about psychology and body language but this book is a great backbone to start negotiation.

Ahmed Salem

This is a book I want to get back to later with slower rate and absorb every single technique!! 

It is unbelievable how much those techniques , if will not help you in a tough situation, it can help you to understand what is going on there.

Yasser Yahia

The book is awesome and very engaging with simple story-like way. I kinda agree on most of what Chris mentioned in the book as a way to navigate your way through negotiations, but I had some concerns also on some of the ways/concepts it is promoting.

I'd still recommend the book for everyone though. An enjoyable easy read with a lot of valuable information.

Danté

The best, most practical book on negotiation you'll find. Better than Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

Main takeaways:
- Never use word "Fair" in negotiations. It asserts your take on what is fair, but makes the other party feel you are calling them unreasonable. They could just as easily call their position "fair" and neither of you would have moved closer to agreement. 
- Use open ended questions rather than yes no, but don't ask Why? It will make the party feel they need to justify. 
- Be honest with the negatives early - say "it may seem like I'm a bully based on xyz". This is echoed Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. 
- Realize what type of negotiator is on the other side. E.g. if Assertive, then use mirroring technique as it will allow them to feel in control. 
- Use the question "How can I do that"/"How am I supposed to do that?" as it will help the other party see your point of view and if they propose a solution they will have buy in. 
- Negotiation = Communication + Results.

brendan sudol

At times, the author’s tone felt a bit too braggy for my taste, but overall this book has some great (and practical) negotiation techniques (e.g., saying “No” without using the word, emotion labeling, accusation audit) that I will employ going forward.

Ethan Ding

comes in a little less actionable and memorable than nonviolent communication

Ugis

Great book. Entertaining examples of negotiators life and a ton of good lessons and tactics around negotiation and communication in general. I'll definitely open it again to get some notes out. I do agree with some reviewers that the title of the book is not the most successful. [reading time: 9h40m]

Chris Raastad

Wow! Where do I even begin? This book is a thriller. It will take you for a ride with an ex FBI hostage negotiator and the secrets of tactical empathy, how to speak up, get you what you want, and make everyone happy. This feels exactly how Mr. Kristo Käärmann managed people at Wise in the heyday. He never told you what to do, he basically went inception on you with How and Why questions to get *you* to discover what he wanted you to do, sometimes even weeks or months later! I FINALLY FOUND KRISTO'S SECRETS!!! It's about getting the other person to a "that's right", winning them over, and then pushing them with questions (labels and mirrors) to the solution you want.

Fantastic book for understanding people in business and life. Definitely pick it up, you won't regret it!

Key points:
* Negotiation begins with listening, making it about the other people, validating their emotions, and creating enough trust and safety for a real conversation to begin.
* Use mirrors to encourage the other side to empathize and bond with you, keep people talking, buy your side time to regroup, and encourage your counterparts to reveal their strategy.
* Tactical empathy brings our attention to both the emotional obstacles and the potential pathways to getting an agreement done.
* Giving someone’s emotion a name, otherwise known as labeling, gets you close to someone without asking about external factors you know nothing about.
* “No” provides a great opportunity for you and the other party to clarify what you really want by eliminating what you don’t want.

Summary: https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/bo...

Sarah Ryan

A good read, especially recommend for anyone who owns their own business. I will probably read again to internalise the teachings even further.

Lincy

Mumluk

Best negotiation book I have ever read. Part of the few books I re-read regularly.

Bryan Maniotakis

I can’t recommend this enough. It’s a great look into human psychology that leaves you with actionable methods for a variety of situations.

Maggie Delano

This book is a great resource for when the strategies taught in popular negotiation book "Getting to Yes" fail. Chris Voss' approach does not assume that one is negotiating with a rational or reasonable counterpart, and provides tools for both diffusing challenging situations and working with stubborn individuals.

Katy Watkins

Surprisingly approachable view of negotiation, and an easy read.

Vojtech &
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

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