Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It

Invite readers to reflect on their broad takeaways and initial reactions to the book.

1. The title, Never Split the Difference, directly challenges the idea of compromise. How did this bold premise affect your expectations or assumptions as you began reading?

2. Voss balances high-stakes FBI stories with everyday examples. What did you think of this blend? Did it help you better understand or apply the negotiation techniques?

3. How did you respond to the emotional intelligence and empathy-centered framework that Voss presents? Did it alter the way that you think about negotiation?

Help readers relate the book’s lessons to their own life experiences.

1. Voss describes three negotiator types: analyst, accommodator, and assertive. Which one do you most relate to, and how has that played out in personal or work settings?

2. Think of a recent negotiation or challenging conversation—what tool or idea from the book would you now want to bring into that situation?

3. “Tactical empathy” asks us to understand someone’s perspective deeply, even if we don’t agree. When have you done this well, and how did it shift the interaction?