MasterClass Announces Former FBI Lead International Kidnapping Negotiator Chris Voss to Teach the Art of Negotiation

MasterClass, the platform that makes it possible for anyone to learn from the best, today announced that former FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator, Chris Voss, will teach a class on negotiation. In his MasterClass, Voss will share practical negotiation tactics, using real-world examples that can be applied in daily life, from getting better service at an airline counter to negotiating a raise to convincing a family member to see things your way. Now available exclusively at MasterClass.com, students can subscribe for unlimited access to all new and existing classes of 70+ instructors through the All-Access Pass. MasterClass categories include business, culinary arts, film & television, music & entertainment, photography, sports and more.

“We all negotiate everyday, but Chris has had to negotiate on another level – with terrorists, drug dealers and bank robbers,” said David Rogier, co-founder and CEO of MasterClass. “Chris takes the lessons from some of his hardest negotiations and teaches us how to apply them to our lives, opening the door for us all to confidently go after what we want.”

Voss is a lifelong expert and preeminent mind in law enforcement, having started his career working with the New York City SWAT team. It wasn’t until 1992, when he took his first hostage negotiator training with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, that he recognized his unparalleled aptitude for negotiation. In his 24-year tenure with the Bureau, Voss rose among the ranks, becoming the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the FBI, as well as the Bureau’s hostage negotiation representative for the National Security Council’s Hostage Working Group. In fact, he was one of the masterminds in securing the release of American journalist Jill Carroll, who was kidnapped by Al Qaeda in 2006. Chris is also the founder and CEO of The Black Swan Group, as well as the author of the book “Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It.”

“From international threats to your average car salesman, the key to effective negotiation is the understanding that everyone is simply human,” said Voss. “In my MasterClass, I’ll share practical advice that’ll help you find common ground with any person, whether you’re at work closing a deal or at home, bargaining with your kid.”

Designed for everyday negotiators, Voss’ MasterClass will dispel outdated notions of negotiation being a battleground and instead show how skillful negotiators deploy empathy and a collaborative approach to achieve desired outcomes. The negotiation strategies are scalable and practical, and include tools and skills such as mirroring, labeling, bargaining, and posing calculated questions. Members will see Voss’ technique in action, as he counsels a student on how to tackle everyday situations from getting a raise to dealing with an incalcitrant family member.

Using these tools, students will also learn how to negotiate for the best deal and secure add-on perks when shopping, as well as how to get better service at an airline counter and secure a late check out from a hesitant hotel clerk. Voss will draw from his FBI past and recount how he handled some of the most high-stakes and tricky negotiations of our time, including the 1993 Chase Manhattan bank robbery in Brooklyn, where, for the first time, Voss will reveal the tape recordings from the phone calls with the hostage takers. He will show how some of these field-tested tools from his hostage negotiation days can be easily implemented in everyday life to achieve goals and strengthen relationships.

Voss’ MasterClass joins the 70+ classes taught by world-renowned instructors on culinary arts, photography, writing, performance, and much more. Each MasterClass has digestible video lessons sized to fit into any part of your day and cinematic visuals with close-up, hands-on demonstrations that make you feel one-on-one with the instructor. The All-Access Pass gives you access to every MasterClass and new ones as they launch. Learn on the go with mobile apps or in the comfort of your home with Apple TV.

Subscribe to greatness at MasterClass.com.