Christopher Voss

Voss was born in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.{{cite web|url=https://www.iowapublicradio.org/post/fbi-kidnapping-negotiatior-and-iowa-native-explains-why-you-should-never-split-difference|access-date=Dec 30, 2019|date=Jul 12, 2016|title=FBI Kidnapping Negotiatior and Iowa Native Explains Why You Should "Never Split the Difference"|last1=Roth|first1=Clare|last2=Kieffer|first2=Ben}} He earned a Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University and Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.{{cite web|last1=Agule|first1=Rebecca|title=An Insider's Guide to Surviving a Kidnapping|url=http://hlrecord.org/an-insiders-guide-to-surviving-a-kidnapping/|website=The Harvard Law Record|access-date=Dec 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424113436/http://hlrecord.org/2008/04/an-insiders-guide-to-surviving-a-kidnapping/|archive-date=April 24, 2019|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last1=Riley|first1=Una|title=Una Riley meets Chris Voss|url=http://www.professionalsecurity.co.uk/blogs/unas-blog/una-riley-meets-chris-voss/|access-date=Dec 13, 2016|publisher=Professional Security Magazine|date=Feb 9, 2015}}{{Cite web|url=https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014RY57AAG/christopher-voss|title=Georgetown University Faculty Directory|website=gufaculty360.georgetown.edu|access-date=2020-04-03}}

Voss was a member of the New York City Joint Terrorism Task Force from 1986 to 2000.{{Citation needed|reason=the reference lacks a page number; the book cited isn't available for review|date=December 2021}}{{cite book|last1=Graf|first1=Garret|title=The Threat Matrix: The FBI at War in the Age of Global Terror|date=2011|publisher=Little, Brown|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vVVLVEApMLkC&q=chris+voss+joint+terrorism+task+force&pg=PT170|access-date=Dec 14, 2016|isbn=9780316120883}} He was involved in monitoring the New York City landmark bomb plot after spending three years investigating the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, one of 500 agents who were involved in the task.{{cite news|last1=Tyre|first1=Peg|title=TWA probe took emotional toll on FBI agents|url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9711/17/twa.investigators/index.html|access-date=Dec 14, 2016|publisher=CNN|date=Nov 17, 1997}} He was the "co-case agent" during the investigation of the 1996 TWA Flight 800 explosion.

In 1992, he received hostage negotiation training at the FBI Academy. He spent 24 years working in the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit and was the FBI's chief international hostage and kidnapping negotiator from 2003 to 2007.{{cite web|author=|title=Chris Voss: Negotiating for Hostages, Negotiating for Business|url=http://www.lawac.org/Events-and-Archives/Commentary/Post/537/Chris-Voss-Negotiating-for-Hostages-Negotiating-for-Business|website=LA World Affairs Council|access-date=Dec 14, 2016|archive-date=October 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016141742/http://www.lawac.org/Events-and-Archives/Commentary/Post/537/Chris-Voss-Negotiating-for-Hostages-Negotiating-for-Business|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last1=Lam|first1=Bouree|title=Ask a Hostage Negotiator: What's the Best Way to Get a Raise?|date=30 April 2015|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/04/ask-a-hostage-negotiator-whats-the-best-way-to-talk-about-a-raise/391943/|publisher=The Atlantic|access-date=Dec 10, 2016}}

In 2006, he was the lead negotiator on the Jill Carroll case in Iraq as well as the Steve Centanni case in the Gaza Strip. Voss supervised additional hostage cases in the Philippines, Colombia and Haiti.{{cite news|last1=Esposito|first1=Richard|title=U.S. Mom: Chavez Only Hope for My Hostage Son|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4280592|access-date=Dec 14, 2016|work=ABC news|date=Feb 13, 2008}}

After working on more than 150 international hostage cases, he retired from the FBI in 2007 and founded The Black Swan Group.{{Citation needed|reason=the reference is inaccessible|date=December 2021}}{{cite news|last1=Wartenberg|first1=Steve|title=Negotiating expert wins fans with his 'no' strategy|url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2009/09/20/Start_With_No.ART_ART_09-20-09_D1_B8F4035.html|access-date=Dec 14, 2016|publisher=Columbia Dispatch|date=Sep 20, 2009}}{{cite web|last1=Vardi|first1=Nathan|title=Kidnap Inc.|url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/1013/094.html|work=Forbes|access-date=Dec 10, 2016}} The Black Swan Group serves as a consultancy and trainer for both businesses and individuals on negotiation skills.{{Cite web|last=Group|first=The Black Swan|title=Negotiation Services - Black Swan|url=https://www.blackswanltd.com/services|access-date=2021-04-05|website=www.blackswanltd.com|language=en}} He became an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and a lecturer at the USC Marshall School of Business.{{Citation needed|reason=link isn't found|date=December 2021}}{{cite web|author=|title=Chris Voss - Faculty Profile|url=https://www.marshall.usc.edu/faculty/director/voss|website=USC|access-date=Dec 13, 2016}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news|last1=Jacobs|first1=Deborah|title=Three Ways To Negotiate About Anything|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2012/11/19/three-ways-to-negotiate-about-anything/#23c9bb3f39fe|access-date=Dec 12, 2016|work=Forbes|date=Nov 19, 2012}}

In 2016, Voss co-authored the book Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, with journalist Tahl Raz.{{cite web|last1=Lebowitz|first1=Shana|title=A former FBI hostage negotiator says there's one question you should ask when you can't get the salary you want|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/former-fbi-hostage-negotiator-chris-voss-what-to-say-when-you-cant-get-the-salary-you-want-2016-5|publisher=Business Insider|access-date=Dec 10, 2016}}

Voss was given the Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement as well as the FBI Agents Association Award for Distinguished and Exemplary Service.

Voss is a regular commentator on CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, and NPR.{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2012/12/21/167802325/episode-425-an-fbi-hostage-negotiator-buys-a-car|title=Episode 425: An FBI Hostage Negotiator Buys A Car|website=NPR.org|language=en|access-date=2020-04-03}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.blackswanltd.com/keynotes-seminars|title=Keynotes & Seminars - Black Swan|work=The Black Swan Group|language=en|access-date=2020-04-03}} He has also been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, Inc., Variety, and Time.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/benderspink-pacts-with-fbi-vet-for-hostage-negotiator-series-1201422636/|title=Benderspink Pacts with FBI Vet for Hostage Negotiator Series|last1=Littleton|first1=Cynthia|date=2015-02-03|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2020-04-03}}{{Cite news|last=Glusac|first=Elaine|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/travel/a-former-fbi-negotiator-and-his-tips-for-travel.html|title=A Former F.B.I. Negotiator and His Tips for Travel|date=2020-02-01|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-04-03|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

In 2019, he created and narrated a MasterClass, The Art of Negotiation.{{cite web|url=https://www.masterclass.com/classes/chris-voss-teaches-the-art-of-negotiation|title=Chris Voss Teaches the Art of Negotiation|last=Voss|first=Chris|date=14 April 2020|website=Masterclass|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108021612/https://www.masterclass.com/classes/chris-voss-teaches-the-art-of-negotiation |archive-date=2020-01-08 |access-date=}}

• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It{{cite web |title=Review of Chris Voss' famous negotiation book: 'Never Split the Difference. Negotiating as if your life depended on it'|url=https://medium.com/@clariceqiu/review-for-chris-vosss-famous-negotiation-book-never-split-the-difference-71e68557a081|publisher=Medium.com|date= Dec 26, 2018}} (2016) {{ISBN|9781473535169}}
• The Full Fee Agent: How to Stack the Odds in Your Favor as a Real Estate Professional (2022) {{ISBN|1544536631}}
• Empathy and Understanding In Business (2024) {{ISBN|979-8986209791}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/how-an-fbi-agent-uses-emotional-intelligence-to-negotiate.html Inc magazine, "The 5 Brilliant Emotional Intelligence Tactics This FBI Agent Uses to Negotiate"]
• [https://time.com/4326364/negotiation-tactics/ Time magazine, "5 Tactics to Win a Negotiation, According to an FBI Agent"]
• [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/14/dylann-roof-s-chilling-question-did-i-shoot-you-yet.html Article at the Daily Beast]
• [http://portal.idc.ac.il/he/Main/about_idc/news_events/DocLib2/Chris_Voss.pdf IDC Magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206160357/http://portal.idc.ac.il/he/main/about_idc/news_events/doclib2/chris_voss.pdf |date=2016-12-06 }}
• [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0811/27/ltm.01.html Interview at CNN in 2008]

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Category:Living people

Category:American chief executives

Category:American writers

Category:Federal Bureau of Investigation agents

Category:Law enforcement officials from New York City

Category:McDonough School of Business faculty

Category:Harvard Kennedy School alumni

Category:Negotiation

Category:United States National Security Council staffers

Category:University of Southern California faculty

Category:1957 births