Chris Voss: The Basics of Negotiations

In this video, Chris Voss, former Lead International Kidnapping Negotiator for the FBI, shares how he spent his career navigating high-pressure situations. While most individuals will never be bargaining to save a human life like Voss, each of us negotiates daily with colleagues, vendors, friends, and family members. How do you secure maximum benefit in your own negotiations? According to Voss, success comes from patience, proper planning, and a genuine desire to listen.

Prior to 2008, Chris was the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the FBI’s hostage negotiation representative for the National Security Council’s Hostage Working Group. Before becoming the FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator, Chris served as the lead Crisis Negotiator for the New York City Division of the FBI. Chris was a member of the New York City Joint Terrorist Task Force for 14 years. He was the case agent on such cases as TERRSTOP (the Blind Sheikh Case–Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman), the TWA Flight 800 catastrophe and negotiated the surrender of the first hostage taker to give up in the Chase Manhattan bank robbery hostage taking.