A former international hostage negotiator for the FBI offers a new, field-tested approach to high-stakes negotiations 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 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, revealing the skills that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered most. In this practical guide, he shares nine effective principles 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, haggling over 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.

The new rules : how to become the smartest person ... in any room -- Be a mirror : how to quickly establish rapport -- Don't feel their pain, label it : how to create trust with tactical empathy -- Beware "yes", master "no" : how to generate momentum and make it safe to reveal the real stakes -- Trigger the two words that immediately transform any negotiation : how to gain the permission to persuade -- Bend their reality : how to shape what is fair -- Create the illusion of control : how to calibrate questions to transform conflict into collaboration -- Guarantee execution : how to spot the liars and ensure follow-through from everyone else -- Bargain hard : how to get your price -- Find the black swan : how to create breakthroughs by revealing the unknown unknowns.