Summary of Never Split the Difference

Negotiation is the heart of any collaboration. In his book Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, Chris Voss through his research and experience in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a negotiator, explains the best way to approach and win any kind of negotiation. Each chapter begins with a fast-paced story of a hostage negotiation, which is then dissected to explain what worked and what didn’t. After explaining the negotiation theory and the tools, he describes real-life case studies from him and others who’ve used the tools to prevail while negotiating a salary, purchasing a car, or working out nettlesome problems at home. Chris describes the principles and practices he deployed in the field into an exciting new approach designed to help the reader disarm, redirect, and dismantle his/her counterpart in any negotiation. And to do so in a relationship-affirming way. Negotiation serves two distinct, vital life functions; information gathering and behavior influencing and includes almost any interaction where each party wants something from the other side. What this book is really about, is getting you to accept negotiation and in doing so learn how to get what you want in a psychologically aware way. You’ll learn to use your emotions, instincts, and insights in any encounter to connect better with others, influence them, and achieve more.