You encounter negotiations constantly – emails with your boss, talks with family, or simple exchanges with service workers.
‘Fight Less, Win More: How Master Negotiators Influence Hearts, Minds, and Deals,’ released January 13, 2026, by Jonathan B. Smith and Derek Gaunt, provides tools to handle them better.
Smith works as a negotiations trainer and coach with the Black Swan Group, founded by former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss.
Gaunt brings 29 years of law enforcement experience, including leading hostage negotiation teams, and has previously authored ‘Ego, Authority, Failure’. Both of the books train corporate and law enforcement professionals in the Black Swan Method.
The book builds on Voss’s multimillion-copy bestseller ‘Never Split the Difference.’ It focuses on Tactical Empathy to understand others deeply and influence outcomes.
It includes real-world case studies from crises and business, step-by-step guidance, practice exercises, and ways to avoid common traps.
Readers rate it highly: 4.9 out of 5 stars from 71 Amazon reviews and 4.94 average from 47 Goodreads ratings (per Amazon and Goodreads data as of late January 2026).
What You Will Learn
You will learn to apply Tactical Empathy, the core skill of making counterparts feel genuinely understood, to lower defenses and open collaboration. The book teaches the 5 Levels of Listening to reveal hidden motivations and needs others may not express.
You gain techniques to identify “Black Swans” – unexpected pieces of information that can shift negotiations decisively in your favor. The Core Four skills (including mirroring, labeling, dynamic silence, and summarizing) help defuse tension in high-pressure moments.
These methods come from hostage crises and thousands of business deals, tested under real stress rather than theory alone. You practice in low-stakes settings first, such as paraphrasing daily conversations, to build confidence before tougher interactions.
The approach shifts focus from winning at others’ expense to creating mutual value without burning bridges. It applies to salary discussions, family conflicts, sales, or any interaction where interests differ. Kirkus Reviews notes it makes a case for negotiation as a fundamental life skill, with practical examples from the authors’ experiences.
Our Key Takeaways:
Fight Less, Win More reframes negotiation as an empathetic process centered on understanding the other person first, drawing from FBI-derived tactics to improve outcomes in daily life and professional settings.
- The core message centers on Tactical Empathy as the foundation for influencing people effectively while preserving relationships and integrity.
- The book is most beneficial if you negotiate regularly in business, leadership, sales, family matters, or any high-stakes human interactions.
- Read it to gain field-tested tools that help resolve conflicts faster, uncover critical information, and achieve better results without compromise or manipulation.
You may also want to check out some of our other bestseller book spotlights.
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