There are a lot of books about getting what you want with confidence.

And I've read most of them.

But the best book on Negotiating I've found is “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It” by Chris Voss.

For a few reasons:

• Reason #1: Practical Techniques: Voss, a former FBI hostage negotiator, shares real-world negotiation strategies that he used in high-stakes situations. By learning and applying these practical techniques, you can feel more confident in navigating various negotiation scenarios, whether in business, personal relationships, or even internal self-talk negotiations.

• Reason #2: Mindset Shift: Stop seeing negotiation as a showdown and start seeing it as a problem-solving chat. This shift makes negotiation less scary and more like a win-win game. You'll walk into talks feeling like you've got this.

• Reason #3: Effective Communication: Voss teaches how to talk so people listen and listen so people talk. Learn to chat with empathy, understand others' perspectives, and build connections. Your confidence will soar when you know you can handle any conversation like a boss.

• Reason #4: Handling Difficult Situations: Negotiations can sometimes become tense or adversarial, leading to feelings of anxiety or uncertainty. Voss provides strategies for handling jerks gracefully to breaking through deadlocks.

• Reason #5: Growing Personally: Beyond negotiation, this book's about personal growth. You'll boost your emotional smarts, toughen up your resilience, and become an all-around more confident person. Who knew negotiating could make you feel so awesome?

If you are at all interested in building your confident communication skills, I can't recommend this book enough.

(And if you've read it, do you agree? What other book would you recommend for beginners?)