Never split the difference Negotiating as if your life depended on it

Emotional intelligence is becoming the name of the game applied in business and in life. Former top FBI hostage negotiator (now consultant and teacher) Voss' first bookreveals everything you need to know about negotiating for success, using what he calls tactical empathy. It's the next leap forward for those who memorized Fisher and Ury's classic Getting to Yes (1981), building on the fact that listening is an art. Voss begins by assuming what he calls the late-night FM DJ calm voice of reason. Every chapter advances the reader toward complete understanding and adoption of his nine principles (though it would be better if spelled out up-front), from Be a mirror to Bargain hard. Key lessons a page or two at each section's end act as both a summary and refresher about the great life stories Voss tells, whether the one about a 1993 Chase Manhattan bank robbery in Brooklyn or how he bargained for a red Toyota 4Runner he fell in love with. The appendixes provide a good template for launching and winning negotiations.--Jacobs, Barbara Copyright 2016 Booklist

Voss writes that "kidnappers are just businessmen trying to get the best price," and he should know; before founding a consulting firm, the Black Swan Group, he spent over two decades as an FBI hostage negotiator. While taking an executive negotiating course at Harvard, he realized that his hostage-saving techniques were well suited to the business world. Voss, who believes that "life is negotiation," has set out to help readers get what they want out of any given situation, without harming the other parties. Along with telling stories of his time in the FBI, he guides readers through key lessons, such as how to "confront without confrontation," understand an opponent's emotions, become good at saying no, manipulate your opponent's reality, and develop the calm but authoritative vocal style he calls "the late-night FM DJ voice." Chatty and friendly and packed with helpful resources, this is an intriguing approach to business and personal negotiations. Agent: Steve Ross, Abrams Artists Agency. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.