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Never Split the Difference

Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

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Never Split the Difference

Written by: Chris Voss, Tahl Raz
Narrated by: Michael Kramer
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This international bestseller, with more than 5 million copies sold, offers a field-tested approach to high-stakes negotiations—whether in the boardroom, in your community, or at home.

Life is a series of negotiations, and negotiation is at the heart of collaboration—whether you are a business executive, a salesperson, a parent , a community leader, or a spouse. As a former FBI hostage negotiator, Chris Voss gives you the tools to be effective in any situation: negotiating a business deal, buying (or selling) a car, negotiating a salary, acquiring a home, renegotiating rent, deliberating with your partner, or communicating with your children. Taking the power of persuasion, empathy, active listening, and intuition to the next level, Never Split the Difference gives you the competitive edge in any difficult conversation or challenging situation. This book is a masterclass in influencing others, no matter the circumstances.

After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, 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 distills the Voss method, revealing the skills that matter most when it comes to achieving your goals in both your professional and personal life.

Step-by-step, Voss show you how to:

  • Establish Rapport
  • Create Trust with Tactical Empathy
  • Gain the Permission to Persuade
  • Shape What Is Fair
  • Calibrate Questions
  • Transform Conflict into Collaboration
  • Spot Liars
  • Create Breakthroughs by Revealing the Unknown Unknowns
Never Split the Difference is your definitive source for defusing potential crises, winning people over, and achieving your goals at work and at home. Business Communication Communication & Social Skills Management & Leadership Marketing & Sales Negotiating Personal Development Personal Success Business Career Leadership Inspiring Investing Real Estate Management Business Credit Real State Negotiating Real Estate Product Strategy
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Editorial Review

If you’re looking to improve your negotiation skills, help is just a listen away. Whether it involves your salary, a new home, or your partner, negotiating often has us worried about the arguments and the outcome.

In Never Split the Difference, a former FBI hostage negotiator shows you practical ways to get the advantage in any discussion, at home or in the boardroom. Seemingly counterintuitive, these nine principles have helped Chris Voss save lives and now, they can help you be more persuasive in any discussion.

Voss’ straightforward writing style makes for a captivating listen. Here, veteran audiobook narrator Michael Kramer’s dramatic pacing and intense voice will draw you into first-hand stories of high-stakes negotiations to reveal Voss’ mindset and the reasons for his success.

Over time, Chris Voss started seeing the same dynamics of hostage negotiations play out in business deliberations and other real-life situations. He realized that certain approaches worked as well with terrorists as they did with teenagers. The result is a lesson in how to use emotional intelligence and intuition effectively in all aspects of your life.

Timely and practical, Never Split the Difference remains a bestselling title across Canada almost years after its release.

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This is one of my new favorite audiobooks. Particularly in the “self help” category, most of those types you have to sift through ample fluff to actually hear something interesting. This book however is jam packed with useful and practical info only surrounded by useful explanations and interesting examples from both the FBI hostage world and real life. I am a health professional and I already use many of the active listening skills described, but it was nice to have them described from a negotiation stand point. There are many practical skills, some of which you might already do without knowing why (and can better use them with further understanding), and many you’ve never thought of or used elsewhere and can now apply in a negotiation. I like how the examples he uses are from BOTH success stories and utter failures and lessons learned. He also describes why “win win” and other concessions are worse than “no deal” - as someone who is quick to settle amicably and often at the cost of both parties, it’s such a valuable lesson. The author struck me as quite humble but highly knowledgeable - rare in the self help realm where the authors are usually full of themselves. The narrator did an excellent job and was a perfect match for this book. As someone who avoids conflict and struggles setting boundaries, I will re-read this book again and learn and apply the skills in this book. The author encourages healthy and value based negotiation and that shying away from it does everyone a disservice - it certainly helps build my confidence this is something worth field testing over and over!! Get this book - you won’t regret it!!

Practical and fun to listen to

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can't wait to put these lessons in to practice. couldn't put it down . performance was good but would have been even better if narrated by Chris himself to add personality

loved it. would be better narrated by author

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honestly as a new adult one needs to learn to negotiate and speak in a manner that will help lead you to success whether it's with a client or just negotiating something that you're selling. I had listened to this book and with the authors tips my success rate in getting what I need for cheaper or negotiating with my boss has greatly increased once I understood and applied the tips. the book is also an interesting that's filled with relevant stories that emphasize the points that the author makes. overall a great book. #Audible1

It actually helps!

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Well, I listened, I didn't read it! Insightful lessons in negotiation for business and personal. Chris offered a ton of tools for breaking down barriers of communication that are so simple I'm a bit embarrassed I never thought of any myself!
Will be listening again.
#audible1

Engaging read

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it includes great stories keeping us always wanting to continue to discover more and news ways to look at how we negotiate everything.

great tips to apply

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