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...

Communication Techniques

4 Ways To Improve Your Team's Communication

There’s a difference between negotiating at the same time and negotiating as a team. If you’re laser-focused on getting your turn to speak and...

Communication Techniques

Communication Skills: Hang a Label™ on It

Labeling™ is a communication skill that enables us to identify the dynamics, emotions, and circumstances implied or verbalized by our counterpart.

Communication Techniques

Communication at Work: How to Negotiate A Higher Salary

What happens when you trigger “That’s right” several times in a salary negotiation? How about getting a salary offer 41% higher than you expected?...

Communication Techniques

Communication Skills: How To Get Buy-in Starting With “No”

Think of this as “You had me at ‘no’” meets “think like Elon Musk.”

Communication Techniques

Are You Underperforming As A Listener?

Most people who think they are good listeners underperform. There is some research that suggests they do so by as much as 60%. This overconfidence...

Communication Techniques

Just Talk To Him

MOREPIES. It’s the acronym developed by the Crisis Negotiations Unit of the FBI in order to help negotiators remember the eight skills in the Active...

Communication Techniques

The Sexiest Thing About Listening

It’s how you get what you want. In hostage negotiation we always had a saying “What’s it going to take to get the hostage taker to come out? He’ll...