We’ve all encountered bullies in our lives. Whether it was on the playground as kids, or later in life at work, they come in all shapes and sizes. Some will confront you head-on and give you the proverbial punch to the face. While others are passive-aggressive, finding a more indirect way to knock you down. Bullies are a pain in the ass, but we must learn to deal with them. This is especially true when…
Empathy In Negotiation
Listening to our counterparts is imperative to negotiation, but it is meaningless if the right questions aren’t being asked. People often disguise commands as questions or use a tone that evokes accusations instead of empathy. Most people think they ask great questions, but questions that already supply an answer, or are engineered to get the answer we want, are low-value questions. Dan Oblinger, a recurring guest on Negotiations Ninja, calls these “garbage questions” and says…
Never Split The Difference
Chris Voss has been a recurring guest on Negotiations Ninja. As the former Chief Hostage Negotiator of the FBI, Chris has highly specialized insights into human behavior. Neuroscience plays a role in all decision making, including at the negotiating table. A lot of how-to books present theories that are opposite to what Chris has learned throughout his extensive career. But do they hold up? Through his book, Never Split the Difference, Chris highlights how to…
Getting The Meeting
The business world is saturated with people trying to get each other’s attention. What if there were a way to secure your meeting without cold calls, cold emails, or random social media interactions? Cue contact marketing. In its simplest form, contact marketing is the act of giving a stranger a gift with the intention of getting a meeting. It is an elevated approach that artfully gets the attention of your prospect. My recent guest on…
Social Engineering In Negotiation
Social engineering is defined as the use of centralized planning in an attempt to manage social change and regulate the future development and behaviour of a society. What if the idea of social engineering was used on a micro-scale to steer or influence the behaviour of one person? In a recent episode of Negotiations Ninja podcast, I spoke with Chris Hadnagy, CEO, founder, and chief human hacker of Social-Engineer and author of Social Engineering: The…