Chris Voss Masterclass Review 2022 | The Art Of Negotiations

This article on the “Chris Voss Masterclass Review” will provide you with the opportunity to read an in-depth evaluation of the Best Masterclass Courses, including information on how the lessons are presented, who the course is best suited for, the cost, and what I enjoyed about it, etc.

In addition to being a former FBI hostage negotiator, Chris Voss is a best-selling author, business leader, and Harvard guest lecturer.

No doubt he’s the right person to teach a course on negotiating skills. In terms of quality and value, how does Chris Voss MasterClass stack up?

Chris Voss Masterclass Review answers these questions and more. I’ll be discussing my own experiences and thoughts on whether or not this MasterClass can help you become a better negotiator.

If you don’t have much time, here are the top stories:

What Is MasterClass?

Masterclass is an online learning platform, from the best.

Many well-known instructors, including Gordon Ramsay and Bill Clinton, as well as poker greats like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey, have courses available on the platform.

Despite its youth, MasterClass has already had a significant impact on the online education industry. However, it may not be suitable for everyone.

To help you decide if this MasterClass is right for you, I’ll go over both the positives and negatives.

Who Is Chris Voss?

Chris Voss is an author, entrepreneur, and academic who has worked for the FBI as a hostage negotiator. Expert in high stakes negotiation and featured in publications like Time, CNBC, New York Times, and Inc.

He is one of the world’s leading experts on the skill of high-stakes negotiation. You can also follow him on Twitter, where he is very active.

Voss also serves as the company’s chief executive. Black Swan Group has established itself as the go-to firm for Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes negotiations. If you’re paying attention, you’ll learn the significance of the company name “Black Swan Group” as well.

Voss is also a best-selling author, having penned the negotiation guide “Never Split the Difference.” Goodreads users have given the book an average rating of 4.39 out of 5 stars, with more than 37,000 of those reviews being five stars. If you’ve ever read any Goodreads reviews, you know that a score of 4.39 is nothing short of amazing.

That isn’t all of the impressive credentials. For over a decade, Voss has taught negotiation at universities including Harvard, Georgetown, and the Goethe School of Business in Frankfurt. You may be thinking, “Enough with the credentials!” by now. I’m interested in the man’s skills, not his resume!

I was curious about how a high-stakes negotiator communicates before taking this class, too. Is he a charismatic speaker? No, I don’t think that’s what he intends to do. Do you know how he speaks? Check it out for yourself. His negotiation philosophy is laid out in a TEDx talk given by Chris Voss.

Charisma, body language, and good storytelling are often the deciding factors in successful negotiation. It’s obvious that Voss makes good use of all of these elements in his own style of presentation.

Course Overview – Chris Voss Masterclass Review

Chris Voss MasterClass summary:

Chris Voss has been a high-stakes communicator for decades. Meaning that he has a wide range of systems and strategies that can be used. These tactics can be used to your advantage in any situation, from a family dispute to salary negotiation.

Empathy development is a major focus of the Chris Voss Masterclass. Learning the emotional landscape of the other party is the foundation of nearly every strategy Voss offers.

The ability to put yourself in your opponent’s shoes is not the same as being a soft touch. Tactical empathy, on the other hand, has the power to influence even the most seasoned sociopaths.

Even so, I’m hoping you’ll only have to use these abilities in the context of salary discussions and the like. As far as bank robberies and kidnappers are concerned: leave them to Chris Vossen.

Voss’ masterclass teaches a variety of other skills, including how to use empathy as a negotiation strategy.

• The neuroscience of negotiations
• Developing a persuasive voice tonality and body language
• Decoding the body language and speech patterns of the other party
• Finding the Black Swans (hidden, game-changing information in the negotiation of two parties) and using them to your advantage
• In addition to learning about the tactics, you will also see how to properly use them in a variety of scenarios. This will be shown in several mock negotiations, case studies, and exercises.

The mock negotiations and exercises are not only useful but also very entertaining. Voss deals with a difficult adolescent in one of the lessons, as previously mentioned. In addition, there is a video demonstration of how a traditional salary negotiation should be conducted.

Some Of My Favorite Lessons From The Chris Voss MasterClass

Chris Voss MasterClass chapters

This online course by Chris Voss covers a wide range of negotiation situations very well indeed. To name just a few, there are simply too many excellent lessons to do so.

01 – Case Study: Chase Manhattan Bank Robbery

No other online course lesson has kept me as tense as this negotiation case study. A 1993 bank robbery in Manhattan necessitated Chris Voss to negotiate with kidnappers, and in this lesson.

He explains his entire thought process. Even the actual phone recordings of the negotiation are included in the lesson.

Even if we never find ourselves in a situation where we have to negotiate with kidnappers over the phone, we can still benefit from Chris’ negotiation tactics.

02 – Mock Negotiation: Salary

Using a mock negotiation, Chris Voss demonstrates how to get a raise by showing the employer that you care about him or her. Chris shows that the subject of money should never be brought up in conversation. Your focus should be elsewhere, on something that is far more important to your employer.

03 – Body Language & Speech Patterns

Body language and speech patterns play an important role in negotiations, as Chris Voss explains in this lesson. What other people say is important, but the way they say it is even more so. Chris also explains how to use the 7/38/55 rule to its fullest potential (I must admit, I had also never heard of this rule before taking the course).

04 – Mock Negotiation: Teenagers

Every one of us has gone through the adolescent years. When it comes to teenagers, we’ve all been there.

Chris shares his tried-and-true strategies for negotiating with adolescent clients in this tutorial. Where will the fictitious negotiations take place? Adolescent girl planning a weekend trip to her boyfriend’s parent’s vacation home. The father of the negotiator doesn’t trust his son’s new boyfriend. Chris will go over ways to help the father reclaim his daughter’s affections.

Understanding Body Language And Speech Patterns

To be a successful negotiator, you have to pay attention to every detail. You have to focus and be a sponge that soaks up information from all sources. It is vital that you note what the other person’s body language and tone of voice are telling you.

Chris explains the 7/38/55 rule. To do this, he uses several easy-to-follow examples. Something that he does throughout this course, which is one of the reasons his masterclass is so good.

At this point in the course, he also explains how you can glean information by taking notice of the people on the sidelines. He also shows you how to establish a baseline for the negotiation. Knowing what someone looks like when they are telling the truth, will enable you to more easily spot when they are lying.

Chris Voss´Case Studies And Mock Negotiations

Chris follows in the footsteps of other Masterclass.com instructors by using case studies to demonstrate his concepts. This is one of the reasons why it is such an excellent course because it is extremely effective. His case studies are summarised as follows:

• The Chase Manhattan bank robbery
• The Jill Carroll hostage negotiation
• The Dwight Watson Tractor Man case
• These case studies are fascinating as well as great learning tools. In most of them, Chris uses the original recordings. So, you get to hear exactly what each side said.

Mock negotiations are also employed by him.

• How to negotiate with a teenager
• Negotiating successfully with a rival
• A mock salary negotiation
• 60 seconds or she dies negotiation exercise
• A practical demonstration of mirroring and labeling

Plans & Pricing – Chris Voss Masterclass Review

At the time of writing, MasterClass had three subscription offers. The cost of these (per month) is:

• Individual (1 user) $15
• Duo (2 users) $20
• Family (6 users) $23

In the beginning, this may appear to be an expensive option, but it’s actually quite reasonable. In order to save money, enrolling in as many classes as possible is recommended.

Over 150 courses are available, so you’re sure to find something you like. Only $12 a course even if you buy a single membership and only take 10% of the courses that you’re interested in.

$180 / 15 courses = $12 per year for an individual membership.

You can save a lot of money if you sign up with a group of people you know. To learn more, read our MasterClass cost or MasterClass review articles.

Classes are taught by world-renowned experts, so the value is unbeatable. Over $100 can buy you an online course from someone you’ve never heard of, and that’s without considering the quality of teachers on MasterClass.

Additionally, MasterClass offers a 30-day refund if you’re not satisfied with your purchase. MasterClass can also be purchased as a gift.

Who Should Take This Course?

Chris Voss is a gold mine of information for anyone interested in improving their skills as a negotiator. The lessons he imparts are applicable to all walks of life. If you use the strategies Chris outlines, you’ll be able to make your personal and professional voice heard.

Another example of a masterclass that I didn’t expect to be very beneficial to myself, only to discover that I learned a great deal. Because I had an all-access pass, I was able to take it at no cost to myself.

The all-access pass gives you access to all 80+ expert courses for the same price as purchasing two individual masterclasses. To put it another way, the masterclass.com platform offers incredible value for money.

Is This Course Content Unique?

Honestly, no.

Chris’ book, Never Split the Difference, has some overlap. YouTube interviews with Voss are also available in which he explains some of the techniques he has used in his books.

As a result, MasterClass has designed this course to cover the entirety of the book in just over three hours. A 300-page book can’t be as intense, visual, and engaging as this film..

Role plays and footage from real-life and death situations show the effectiveness of the techniques Voss used. A book, in my opinion, can’t give you the same kind of experience as this.

There are a number of interesting comments on Reddit, but one, in particular, stands out (as well as other Voss content).

Negotiating skills can be learned in a variety of ways, depending on your learning style and time constraints.

This MasterClass is the best option for visual learners. If you learn best by reading, then a 300-page book might be a better option for you if you have the time.

Review Conclusion: Is The Chris Voss MasterClass Worth It?

Yes, the Chris Voss MasterClass is definitely worth the money. Overall, the instructor, curriculum, and final product all met or exceeded my expectations. Although this isn’t my first class on negotiation, it is by far the best.

Neurobiology and his own experiences have informed Chris Voss’s strategy. As a result of his personal experiences and reliance on common human nature, the course is applicable to people from all walks of life.

So, if something works on a psychopathic maniac, it should work on a temperamental supervisor. All aspects of your life can benefit from these negotiation skills. The Chris Voss MasterClass, on the other hand, is so impressive because of this.

I’ve already put some of my new skills to the test in real-world situations. Low-stakes scenarios like requesting a late checkout at a hotel allowed me to test out some negotiation techniques. To my surprise, I was able to accomplish my goals without resorting to any form of negotiation. Is Chris Voss to blame? Doing so made me feel like an FBI negotiator, to say the least.

These small victories mean a lot to me because I’m an introvert. I’m eager to put my newly acquired skills to the test in more challenging situations. And I have a feeling that as my self-confidence grows, so will my ability to negotiate.

Chris Voss Masterclass Review: Alternatives

I’ve read and can vouch for these books:

• Negotiation Genius – is the best single resource on negotiation I’ve come across. Great in breadth and depth of subjects covered
• Crucial Conversations – may come as a shock being placed #2 given it’s missing the word negotiation in the title. A really comprehensive guide to having important conversations, I think about the lessons close to everyday
• Secrets of Power Negotiating – not as broad as number 1 on the list or as detailed as number 2. However, there are lots of tactics and techniques which make it a worthwhile read
• Influence – this is more about the science of influence rather than a series of easy-to-implement techniques. That being said it’s very useful background reading and consistently tops lists as a great business book

MasterClass offers a wide variety of business-related classes, including those from Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Robert Reffkin, Howard Schultz, and Paul Krugman. Daniel Pink’s course on sales is the most relevant. To reiterate, an all-access pass allows you to do any or all of the things listed above.

Coursera and edX offer a wide variety of academic courses, many of which have the option of certification. For example, Yale’s Introduction to Negotiation and edX’s Successful Negotiation are both available on Coursera (University of Michigan). Instead of world leaders, these courses are taught by academics from some of the world’s most prestigious universities.

Both platforms have somewhat convoluted pricing structures. However, most courses can be taken for free, but certification costs money.

Negotiation courses on Udemy include the following:

• Successful Negotiation-Mastering your negotiation skills
• Negotiation Skills-Become a master of negotiation
• Negotiation Secrets
• Udemy courses are purchased individually and the cost varies between $10-50 and Udemy often has sales. Many of the instructors on Udemy are great but bear in mind that anyone can upload a course to the platform so the quality of the teaching may vary.

On top of that, LinkedIn Learning has over 500 courses related to negotiation, including Negotiation Skills and Foundations, which are particularly relevant.

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