Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

· Sold by HarperCollins
396 reviews
Ebook
256
Pages
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25% price drop on Sep 25

About this ebook

This international bestseller, with more than 5 million copies sold, offers a field-tested approach to high-stakes negotiations and conflict resolution—whether in the boardroom, in your community, or at home.

Life is a series of negotiations, and negotiation is at the heart of collaboration—whether you are a business executive, a salesperson, a parent , a community leader, or a spouse. As a former FBI hostage negotiator, Chris Voss gives you the negotiation skills to be effective in any situation: negotiating a business deal, buying (or selling) a car, negotiating a salary, acquiring a home, renegotiating rent, deliberating with your partner, or communicating with your children. Taking the power of persuasion, tactical empathy, active listening, and intuition to the next level, Never Split the Difference gives you the competitive edge in any difficult conversation or challenging situation. This book is a masterclass in influencing others, no matter the circumstances.

After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a hostage negotiator brought him face-to-face with a range of criminals, including bank robbers and terrorists. Reaching the pinnacle of his profession, he became the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator. Never Split the Difference distills the Voss method, revealing the skills that matter most when it comes to achieving your goals in both your professional and personal life.

Step-by-step, Voss show you how to:

  • Establish Rapport 
  • Create Trust with Tactical Empathy
  • Gain the Permission to Persuade 
  • Shape What Is Fair 
  • Calibrate Questions
  • Transform Conflict into Collaboration
  • Spot Liars
  • Create Breakthroughs by Revealing the Unknown Unknowns

Never Split the Difference is your definitive source for effective business communication, defusing potential crises, winning people over, and achieving your goals at work and at home.

This international bestseller, with more than 5 million copies sold, offers a field-tested approach to high-stakes negotiations and conflict resolution—whether in the boardroom, in your community, or at home. Life is a series of negotiations, and negotiation is at the heart of collaboration—wheth...

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Ratings and reviews

396 reviews
Kristin Keele
August 16, 2025
An informative and well-written guide to the art of negotiation, offering practical strategies drawn from the author’s experience as an FBI hostage negotiator. Chris Voss breaks down complex negotiation tactics into clear, actionable steps that feel both easy to understand and applicable in real-life scenarios. While a few examples felt somewhat repetitive, causing the pacing to drag slightly at times the overall content remains highly engaging and valuable.
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Brian Jaime
February 19, 2026
God Bless Chris Voss for I'm sure the facts here will be vital for those who are fresh to "reading the room". Unfortunately for me I found many of the tips to be basic, based on empathy, a trait I would have hoped most of us would have learned in grade school. Voss encourages people to see the problem as separate from the individual, and emphasizes understanding the individual before attempting to negotiate. That's good advice, but elementary.
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Kent
July 15, 2024
the first few pages from the actual book (that has the intro, dedications, etc) included in the number of 'free sample' book pages on the app should not count towards '# free pages remaining' but should start only during like, the beginning of the 1st chapter or wherever the substantive topics about the book are first discussed
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About the author

Chris Voss is one of the preeminent practitioners and professors of negotiation skills in the world. He is the founder and principal of The Black Swan Group, a consulting firm that provides training and advises Fortune 500 companies through complex negotiations. He currently teaches at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, and has lectured at other leading universities, including Harvard Law School, the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Tahl Raz uncovers big ideas and great stories that ignite change and growth in people and organizations. He is an award-winning journalist and co-author of the New York Times bestseller Never Eat Alone. When not researching or writing, he coaches executives, lectures widely on the forces transforming the new world of work, and serves as an editorial consultant for several national firms. He invites readers to e-mail him at tr@tahlraz.com and to visit his website at www.tahlraz.com.

Chris Voss is one of the preeminent practitioners and professors of negotiation skills in the world. He is the founder and principal of The Black Swan Group, a consulting firm that provides training and advises Fortune 500 companies through complex negotiations. He currently teaches at the Univer...

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