Story map
Follow the question, method, turning points and impact behind this person's work.
The question or challenge
How can a negotiator learn what matters when the other side is frightened, defensive or withholding information?
Their work and method
Voss served as an FBI negotiator. In the 1993 Chase Manhattan bank robbery in Brooklyn, he negotiated the surrender of the first hostage taker and the operation got the hostages out.
Turning points
He later taught techniques such as careful listening, repeating key words and naming the emotion a person seems to be expressing.
Key moments
Experiments, pivots, and surprises. Look for what changed their thinking.
- 1Listen
What happened: The negotiation team used conversation to gather information and reduce immediate danger.
Lesson: Understanding the other side can reveal options that argument alone misses.
Impact
Work can create value and still involve limits or trade-offs. Look at both sides of the impact.
Positive
- +Voss helped translate crisis-negotiation listening methods into business education.
Trade-offs
- ±Techniques can become manipulative when used without honesty, consent and regard for the other person's interests.
- ±A hostage crisis is not the same as a family, school or business disagreement. Everyday negotiation should not imitate threats or treat every conversation as a contest.
What to remember
If you had to explain this story to a friend, what would you want them to remember?
- Listen for information before proposing a solution.
- Reflecting words and emotions can test whether you understood correctly.
- Use negotiation tools ethically and match them to the stakes of the situation.
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Sources & further reading
- The Black Swan Group, Chris Voss biography - https://www.blackswanltd.com/chris-voss
- MasterClass, Chase Manhattan Bank robbery case study - https://do6eyjibs3jse.cloudfront.net/classes/chris-voss-teaches-the-art-of-negotiation/chapters/case-study-chase-manhattan-bank-robbery
- TIME, Hostage negotiation techniques interview - https://time.com/38796/6-hostage-negotiation-techniques-that-will-get-you-what-you-want/