Chris Voss MasterClass Review: The Art Of Negotiation

We negotiate daily, even if we might not realize it. But, how much of it is effective?

In his game-changing MasterClass course, negotiation expert and author Chris Voss teaches you important skills and techniques to help you become a better communicator. 

Is the Chris Voss MasterClass worth it? This course will teach you fundamental ways to negotiate with others while giving you insight into Chris’s fascinating career as an FBI negotiator. 

It’s a great blend of strategy and entertainment. But, should you purchase it, and is it right for you? Read our Chris Voss MasterClass review to learn everything you need to know about this course, its pros and cons, and how much it costs.  

My Experience of Chris Voss MasterClass

📚 Covers key negotiation strategies: reading body language, tactical empathy, mirroring, etc., enhanced with practical exercises and mock case studies.
🛠️ Provides actionable steps and techniques for immediate use in various negotiation situations, like negotiating a salary raise.
🤝 Offers easily applicable tactics that are collaborative, not manipulative or forceful.

Who Is Chris Voss? 

Chris Voss is an American author, academic, and businessman. He used to work as the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the FBI and a hostage negotiation representative for the FBI’s National Security Council’s Hostage Working Group. 

During his 24-year-long career at the FBI, Chris learned negotiation skills from the FBI, Harvard Law School, and Scotland Yard. He’s also taught business negotiation at renowned schools such as Harvard University.

He’s a famous speaker at corporate events, where he turns his negotiation expertise into tips that can be applied to the business world. 

In 2008, he established The Black Swan Group, a company that solves business communication problems and offers negotiation training for businesses and individuals. 

Chris has shared his negotiation insights with the public in various popular publications, such as Fast Company, Time, Fortune, and Business Insider. 

He’s also co-written a book entitled, Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It. Other works of his include Beacons of Leadership: Inspiring Lessons of Success in Business and Innovation. 

Chris has a Masterclass called Chris Voss Teaches the Art of Negotiation. If you’ve read Chris’s books, you might wonder if you should complete his course or if it contains the same content as what he’s featured in his books. Read on to find out. 

Inside The Chris Voss MasterClass

Chris Voss’s MasterClass is an exciting journey into the art of negotiation. By sharing the skills and strategies he’s learned over the years, Chris will help you improve various areas of your life, such as your work and relationships.

By the end of this course, you’ll improve your communication skills, have mastered persuasion, and will know a lot more about human nature. 

This course contains 18 video lessons comprising three hours and four minutes of content. Here’s a summary of what you can expect from Chris Voss’s lessons. 

A Fresh Take On Negotiation

Negotiation isn’t supposed to be a battle! Chris views effective negotiations as collaborations built on empathy instead of hostile battles.

In his video lessons, he’ll teach you techniques such as mirroring to gain information during your negotiation and put your counterpart at greater ease. 

Chris Shares His Personal Techniques 

Chris talks people through some nail-biting hostage negotiation situations that he’s personally been involved in, such as when two men took hostages at a bank in Brooklyn, and what techniques he used to navigate the situation. 

He also provides interesting, little-known information, such as black swans. These are bits of information that you don’t know until you’re in a negotiation situation. Chris teaches you how to use them to your advantage. 

Role-Playing Workshops 

Some video lessons in this MasterClass feature Chris playing roles in different negotiation settings so that you can see him in action and learn from his techniques more easily. 

For example, in one lesson, he plays the role of a father who doesn’t want his teenage daughter to spend the weekend with her boyfriend, a guy the father doesn’t like. Chris teaches the tips and strategies to help the father get his daughter on his side. 

Real-life scenarios help to bring his points home and make them applicable to situations you’re likely to encounter in your life. 

Tips On How To Negotiate Effectively 

This MasterClass is filled with valuable information to help you in all areas of your life. Some of the main negotiating tips that Chris teaches include: 

How to gain the upper hand during negotiations so you can have an advantage and get what you want.

How to use the word “no” in a powerful way. It’s a misconception to think that negotiating is about saying “yes.”

How to frame your case so that you better understand your counterpart’s emotional perspective.

How to bargain with diplomacy and tact.

How to study your counterpart’s body language and speech patterns to gain more information during a negotiation.

He also focuses on some crucial strategies to use during a negotiation, such as:

Labels	These are observations of feelings that neutralize your opponent’s negative feelings
Tone and inflection	It’s not solely about your words but how you say them!

Pros and Cons 

Now that we’ve looked at the main lessons you can learn from the Chris Voss MastetClass, here are some pros and cons to consider. 

What I Liked About the Chris Voss MastetClass

This MasterClass provides a fantastic way to get insight from Chris and see how he has dealt with negotiations in his career

The course provides real-life situations, which makes the course versatile and easy to understand

It provides captivating and exciting workshops and case studies that bring the theory to life

Chris is an excellent communicator and speaker, which makes the video lessons engaging

To make the course even more relatable, Chris offers tips on how to negotiate for a pay increase at work. The real-life scenarios make the course more relatable to a broader audience

Chris explains why he teaches negotiation and how he thinks it can change your life

What I Felt Could Be Improved on the Chris Voss MastetClass

This MasterClass is approximately three hours long, which doesn’t feel like enough

The workbook that accompanies these video lessons isn’t comprehensive

The forum for this MasterClass course is quieter than other courses, so there’s not much of a chance to connect with others who have taken the course

Negotiations felt a bit awkward and were too quickly resolved compared to real-life scenarios, which could take much longer

How Much The Class Costs 

You can’t purchase the Chris Voss course on its own. MasterClass has changed its policies, so you have to purchase an annual subscription to MasterClass, which costs $120.

Once you subscribe to this learning platform, you’ll be able to enjoy many other courses. There are currently more than 150 courses available that are taught by famous, skilled, and renowned instructors.

They teach members about various topics, such as cooking, music, business, and wellness. Some renowned instructors include Christina Aguilera, Daniel Pink, Garry Kasparov, and Annie Leibovitz.

To find out if MasterClass is worth it, read our “MasterClass Review”. It’s also a good idea to learn more about the different available classes and To find out about classes read “Best MasterClass Courses”.

Users’ Experience 

There have been many comments from people who have completed the Chris Voss MasterClass. Let’s check out some of them. 

The content is filled with valuable information. “Chris is a true master because not a single word was random in his MasterClass. Every word was rooted in specific experience and learning”.

The content is game-changing. “I took this class, and it changed my life. I feel so powerful now in any situation”.

The course shows Chris’s negotiation in action. “Chris goes over all the points in his book, but you get to see and hear him use the techniques”.

The course might not be as detailed as his books. “Chris’s books are better to use because they offer more details on the techniques, and you fully control the pace at which you learn”.

My Notes From The Class – Top Lessons Learned

🗣️ Voice Techniques:

Assertive Voice: Direct, no-nonsense, but often counterproductive.
Playful/Accommodating Voice: Promotes collaboration, ideal for 80% of negotiation time.
Late-night Radio DJ Voice: Straightforward, soothing, used for establishing immovable points.
Inquisitive Inflection: Shows genuine curiosity, and understanding.
Declarative Inflection: Expressive, inspires empathetic response.

🪞 Mirroring:

Repeat key words from your negotiating partner to show attention and respect.
Can be used to gather more information and quell hostility.

🏷️ Labelling:

Verbally recognizing the other side’s feelings using phrases like “It seems like…”, “It looks like…”, “You look like…”.
Helps build relationships and gather information.
Mislabelling: Deliberate misidentification to prompt corrections and glean more information.

🤐 Dynamic Silence:

Enhances the impact of mirrors and labels.
Pausing can elicit more information from the other side.

❓ Calibrated Questions:

Structured “how” and “what” questions to shift the power dynamic and force consideration of your position.
Helps maintain the other side’s sense of autonomy.
Changes accusatory “why” to exploratory “what”, reducing defensiveness.

You Might Also Like:
Daniel Pink MasterClass – Sales and Persuasion
Masterclass Course List

Chris Voss’s Masterclass on the Art of Negotiation Vs His Book “Never Split the Difference.

Masterclass on Negotiation:

🚀 Fast-Paced & Short Form: Engages attention and sparks curiosity but offers less control over the pace of learning.
🌊 Surface-Level: It’s described as more shallow compared to the book, possibly covering the basics or main points of negotiation.
🎥 Visual & Interactive: Offers a live role-play angle where Chris demonstrates the techniques in a “live” setting, providing insights into his word choice and strategy.

Chriss Voss’s Book: Never Split The Difference

📚 Detailed: Provides more thorough explanations and examples compared to the Masterclass.
🔄 Self-Paced: Readers can control the pace of their learning, revisiting important sections as needed.
🎧 Immersive Reading Experience: After the Masterclass, readers may find themselves imagining Voss’s “late-night FM-DJ voice” as they go through the book, enhancing the reading experience.

I checked out both Chris Voss’ Masterclass and his book “Never Split The Difference.” I read the book first, but if you haven’t, I would hit the Masterclass first – it’s engaging and makes you curious about negotiation, though it moves fast.

The book lets you take your time to understand things better but doesn’t have much new to offer. The cool part of the Masterclass was seeing the tricks used in pretend scenario videos, which the book couldn’t match.

The book helped make things clear, but the live-action videos and practice in the Masterclass were game-changers.

My Overall Take 

If you want to improve the way you communicate and negotiate, you should take the Chris Voss MasterClass.

It will help you in various situations in your life, helping you to feel more confident about your social and business interactions.

I’d say there’s no substitute for the Masterclass – seeing Chris Voss in action, practicing the techniques in a mock negotiation is just something the book can’t replicate. Although the book digs deep, watching and hearing Voss live in the Masterclass gave me a real feel of how to apply those negotiation tricks in real life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources:

• LeadingAuthorities.com