Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Author: Chris Voss

Genre: Non-Fiction

Format: Digital (Kindle Purchase)

Publish Date: May 2016

Read: June 2021

Favorite Quote: …without a deep understanding of human psychology, without the acceptance that we are all crazy, irrational, impulsive, emotionally driven animals, all the raw intelligence and mathematical logic in the world is little help in the fraught, shifting interplay of two people negotiating.

Story Synopsis: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It is a great book written by former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss. I knew I picked up the right book when Voss focused on the psyche and “reality” of the person with whom you’re negotiating instead of focusing on their demands. I also loved how Voss compared negotiations to tactical empathy.

Thoughts & Feelings: Negotiating has traditionally been a dirty word to me until recently. When I’m traveling, and in a country where haggling is part of the culture, I usually pay more than I should for an item – or panic and don’t buy at all. But lately, I’ve realized negotiating isn’t a dirty word or a battle to fight. Negotiating is a form of communication.

Throughout the book, Voss takes real experiences in his kidnapping and hostage negotiations and translates them into how you can succeed at negotiating a salary, reducing your cable/phone bill, and even getting your kid to go to bed. I have nothing but great things to say about this book.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Link*: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss

Reading Guide: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss Book Club Guide