Black Belt Negotiating: Become a Master Negotiator Using Powerful Lessons from the Martial Arts

5. Hide Your Own Striking Points

From your very first day studying martial arts, you learn to protect your striking points with blocks, and you learn to take a stance that minimizes exposing them to an opponent. In negotiating you should learn as much as you can about your counterparts’ wants and needs while keeping yours as close to the vest as possible. You are most certainly going to have to share some of them to build rapport and trust, as well as to encourage other parties to share theirs. However, keep the most important ones to yourself; otherwise, you become vulnerable.

It’s like playing poker. Your aim is to maneuver your opponents into turning their cards over onto the table without having to do the same yourself. If you are looking ...