Communication Techniques

How Are Negotiation and Interpersonal Communication Related?

You might be the best negotiator in the world. But if you don’t know how to deal with people and treat them with respect, you won’t get the results...

Communication Techniques

3 Guaranteed Ways to Increase Your Communication Success

This blog was originally published on 11/23/2015 and updated on 9/10/2020. Everyone is always looking to increase their chances of success. It’s...

Communication Techniques

Communication Skills: Did You Know There Are 5 Levels of Listening?

This blog was originally published on 5/14/2018 and updated on 8/13/2020. Most people who think they are good listeners underperform—by as much as 60...

Communication Techniques

Communication Skills: How to Use a Cold Read and Accusation Audit

This blog was originally published on 4/17/2017 and updated on 8/6/2020. A few years ago, I was the only hostage negotiator in a room full of SWAT...

Communication Techniques

3 Communication and Negotiation Skills You Should Master

Whether your goal is closing more deals, enhancing personal relationships, or simply having better conversations, improving your communication and...

Communication Techniques

Plan of Action to Improve Negotiation and Communication Skills

In order to improve your negotiation and communication skills, you need to decide to make the change in the first place. Being called upon to make...

Communication Techniques

Communication at Work: Treating Employees like Humans

Most people can relate to the proverbial “mean boss,” because unfortunately, we’ve all dealt with someone like this during our career. And it’s not...

Communication Techniques

What's the Difference Between Active Communication and Active Listening?

In negotiation training, the terms “active communication” and “active listening” get thrown around often. While these two terms share commonalities,...

Communication Techniques

Communication at Work: Why Hearing "No" Should Be Your Goal

Many of the negotiation techniques we teach at Black Swan Group are part of a “no” strategy. We discuss ways to make “no” work for you in a...

Communication Techniques

Communication at Work: Are You Being Too Nice at the Negotiation Table?

When we’re faced with a difficult negotiation, many of us make the mistake of thinking that niceness will help us get what we want. To make ourselves...

Communication Techniques

Communication at Work: How to Nail Your Elevator Pitch

I’ll be honest—I’m not a fan of the elevator pitch. The idea of preparing a 30-second sales speech in which you explain your idea or solution and why...

Communication Techniques

5 Effective Communication Techniques for Managing People

There’s no shortage of bad managers in the world. Most of them aren’t inherently evil people—they’re simply poor communicators. Being an effective...