
10 Rules You Need to Break Right Now
1. Ask good questions – False You need to gather information–yet people hate being interrogated. Questions create friction, diminish rapport, and...

How To Use Silence To Your Advantage
One of my business school students recently sent me an email that said: “One thing you’ve emphasized in class is using a skill and then shutting up....

10 Phrases That Reveal (Dangerous) Hidden Negotiations
“The most dangerous negotiation is the one you don’t know you’re in.” What hidden negotiations drain your time (your most valuable commodity) each...

Negotiator Concepts That Have Evolved Since Never Split The Difference™
Accusation Audits™ and Labels™ (more specifically, Asking Labels™) are two expert concepts that have evolved significantly since Never Split the...

Communication Skills: 3 Ways To Make “No” Work For You
Does yes really always mean yes? Absolutely not. When we say yes, we’re committing to something. And immediately after we’ve committed, we begin...

The Top 12 Must-Read Books for Expert Negotiators
As MIT Professor Peter Senge once said, “the only sustainable competitive advantage is an organization’s ability to learn faster than the...

How to Negotiate Without Saying a Word
Is it ridiculous to think you can negotiate without saying a word? The infamous ratio The Black Swan Method™ teaches is 7:38:55. This means that the...

Becoming a Master Negotiator: Trigger Kindness Moments Everyday
Want to become a master negotiator? Do these two things: Have a list of go-to phrases. Never be mean to someone who can hurt you by doing nothing....

Real Estate Negotiations: When to Push and When to Walk Away
In any negotiation, a push equals an assertion. Assertions work if they are preceded by Tactical Empathy™. Without it, you will blow the deals you...

Let’s Put ‘Yes’ Out of Its Misery. ‘Yes’ Is Not Agreement.
At its very best, yes is only an aspiration, a hope. But hope is not a strategy, and aspiration is not agreement. Here’s why. When Never Split the...

How to Deal with a Boss Who’s a Bully (and a Micromanager)
The secret to getting the upper hand in a negotiation is giving the other side the illusion of control. There is great power in deference, especially...

How to Improve Your Communication Skills to Network Effectively
We’re all drawn to interesting people. Here’s how to improve your communication skills and become the most interesting person in the room. Start with...