How to use ‘forensic listening’ to negotiate more effectively

In high-stakes conditions, like whenever you’re asking your boss for a raise, listening to what’s not being stated could make all of the distinction.  

“Forensic listening is the artwork of discovering and listening to clues,” Chip Massey, a former FBI hostage negotiator, told Fast Company writer Stephanie Vozza earlier this month. “It’s when and the way folks pause, what they emphasize, and what the tone of their voice communicates. By deconstructing these points, you’ll be able to reveal a hidden narrative others might have missed.”

Vozza spoke with Massey and coauthor Adele Gambardella, about their guide, Convince Me: High-Stakes Negotiation Tactics to Get Results in Any Business Situation, and the way forensic listening can assist you get what you need in a scenario. 

It takes apply to get higher at studying what’s occurring whenever you stroll right into a room—what the general temper is, who seems to be in cost, and what their physique language is telling you. 

“Most of us are listening to reply, we’re probably not listening to different folks’s feelings,” says Gambardella. “Studying the room is on the lookout for when the room’s tone adjustments.”

Although nobody is a thoughts reader, there are many methods to make knowledgeable guesses at what somebody is considering, thereby providing you with a giant benefit in a negotiation.

So, take heed to what’s not being stated, in addition to specializing in what phrases or phrases are being repeated, writes Vozza. Is your boss parroting what their boss typically says? Are they counting on plenty of jargon? Does their tone of voice point out they really feel annoyed, or do they appear real? 

One of many causes folks with excessive emotional intelligence (or EQ) succeed is due to how efficient they’re at tuning into others. “Perceptive individuals are at all times extra profitable in life and in work,” Loren Miner, COO of recruitment agency Resolution Toolbox, told Vozza back in 2015. “Prime performers aren’t at all times the neatest folks; they’re those who join with others and have the next EQ.”

Fortunately, emotional intelligence is one thing you’ll be able to work to enhance. By engaging in active listening, working to grow to be extra conscious of your personal feelings, and training yourself to be more curious about others, you’ll be able to grow to be higher at determining the subtext of a scenario—and utilizing it to your benefit.