Unlock the power of "Tactical Empathy" to transform your workplace negotiations. Discover how this potent strategy can help you understand others' perspectives, foster mutual respect, and ultimately, secure successful outcomes in professional discussions.

Negotiations are collaborative

Chris Voss, a former FBI negotiator turned leadership coach, believes that negotiations entail trust and teamwork

  • He believes that pushing one’s agenda first entails understanding your counterpart’s motivations
  • Tactical empathy is a core stratagem in navigating friction
  • Using concepts from neuroscience to influence emotions

Investing the time to build relationships

Mirroring and the other 11 negotiation tactics he teaches requires patience and practice. Before any big conversation, he suggests trying out these techniques with friends or even your kids.

Mirroring your counterpart to establish rapport

This demonstrates to your counterpart how deeply you’re listening to their words and, in effect, how thoughtfully you’re considering their position.

  • In a heated confrontation, mirroring can help you “regain balance when you’ve been challenged” or buy you time when you’re really flummoxed.

Negotiating across cultures

“Everybody on earth wants to know that they’re being understood and will open up when they feel they are listened to”

  • The desire to connect and be understood is the basic layer that underpins everything
  • Voss used other Black Swan Group negotiation coaches as protagonists in various practice sessions.

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