From FBI Hostage Work to Business Negotiation

Episode 165: Chris Voss - Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Chris Voss is the Founder and CEO of the Black Swan Group Ltd and author of Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It. He has used his many years of experience in international crisis and high-stakes negotiations to develop a unique program and team that applies these globally proven techniques to the business world.

Prior to 2008, Chris was the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the FBI's hostage negotiation representative for the National Security Council's Hostage Working Group. During his government career, he also represented the U.S. Government at two international conferences sponsored by the G-8 as an expert in kidnapping. He was the case agent on such cases as TERRSTOP (the Blind Sheikh Case – Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman), the TWA Flight 800 catastrophe and negotiated the surrender of the first hostage taker to give up in the Chase Manhattan bank robbery hostage taking.

During Chris's 24 year tenure in the Bureau, he was trained in the art of negotiation by not only the FBI but Scotland Yard and Harvard Law School. He is also a recipient of the Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement and the FBI Agents Association Award for Distinguished and Exemplary Service.

Chris currently teaches business negotiation in the MBA program as an adjunct professor at University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business and at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. He has taught business negotiation at Harvard University, guest lectured at The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, The IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland and The Goethe School of Business in Frankfurt, Germany. Since 2009 Christopher has also worked with Insite Security as their Managing Director of the Kidnapping Resolution Practice.

Episode 165: Chris Voss - Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

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The Learning Leader Show

"Every single question you ask will trigger an emotional response on the other side."

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• "Active Listening" leads to being a great negotiator
  • "In a 2 hour conversation, there will be solid gold"
• There is always a difference in the literal truth and the actual truth
• Why you cannot be scared to look stupid by not asking clarifying questions
• How spending 24 years in the FBI, and negotiating over 150 kidnappings have developed his incredible ability
  • International kidnappings are bargaining... Commodities
• "Leaders and Learners ask and they follow through"
• When closing a big business deal, terms and conditions are typically more important than the price: Try not to talk dollars until the very end. Satisfaction and peace of mind is what closes most deals
• How to develop trust and peace of mind -- Predictability with trust
• "Be a mirror" -- How to quickly establish rapport: 1 to 3 words repeating with the other says
• Why Howard Stern is one of the best interviewers in the world... He gets people to share things they would never normally say
• How to negotiate better terms when discussing a job offer -- Thinking long term vs. short term -- Insist on being part of projects that help the long term success of the company. Create your value
• "What makes you ask?" What's the question behind the question?
• The Jeff Schilling kidnapping -- A $10m pricetage -- Using "That's right" to create a bonding moment and get Jeff back
• The D.C. Snipers - Chris shares his involvement with that negotiation
• How to spot liars... How to guarantee execution, what questions to use at what times
• Liars use more words (typically) than people telling the truth to justify their story (their lie)
• The 7-38-55 percent rule
• When should you use the other persons first name and when it's too much
• How to coach emotional intelligence skills

"Leaders and Learners ask and they follow through"

Continue Learning:

• Read Chris's Book: Never Split The Difference
• Follow Chris on Twitter: @VossNegotiation
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

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Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

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