Simon Horton in seven

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1 .The western political climate has become more divided, with participants increasingly unwilling to engage in constructive debate. What’s your advice for those setting the agenda?

Sadly, I think it is the politicians who are leading this polarisation because they see personal gain in it. I would encourage them to stop viewing it as a ‘my party v their party’ situation, but see each issue as a problem that can be resolved in a pragmatic, collaborative way. This would require real leadership, because someone would have to go first and break the mould. If they did, I’m sure it would be rewarded by the electorate, who are tired of the status quo.

2. How do hostage negotiators deal with fear when the stakes are so high?

Clearly, hostage situations can be very tense, but it goes with the job and anyone who applies is likely to thrive on that energy. They are usually very courageous, too. Courage does not mean fearlessness; they operate by the maxim ‘feel the fear but do it anyway’.

3. What’s your advice for keeping stress under control in a business context?

Business negotiations can be stressful too – and sometimes you have to work by the same ‘feel the fear’ maxim. There are many mental techniques – such as mindfulness, breathing and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) anchoring – that you can use to calm your nerves and maintain confidence. But perhaps the single biggest way to reduce stress is to find ways to enjoy it. If you enjoy negotiations – and you can certainly learn to do this – there won’t be any stress, just fun.

4. You talk about the importance of empathy and listening in a negotiation. Are these qualities missing from the current business landscape?

Yes, to a certain degree. Many business people put on a corporate mask, often as a way to deal with their own fears and insecurities. They can use aggressive behaviours, too, if they find it works for them in negotiations. But those who drop the aggressive behaviour and remove the mask will reap the reward. Making the negotiation human to human increases trust, and there is a high premium that comes with that.

5. What role do facts and evidence play in a negotiation? How can these be used to influence someone?

Facts and evidence are a key part of any case to persuade. That said, everybody will view the facts differently – and, indeed, will have their own facts to support their case. So the more you can refer to objective benchmarks, the fairer the argument will seem. For example, in a pay-rise negotiation, tie it to the Retail Price Index, or agree on a performance metric. That said, emotions are more important in business negotiations than we imagine. If you want to get your best outcome, you also need to deal with the emotional element.

6. What advice about human behaviour would you give those working in market research and insights?

In observing, market researchers influence too. Contextual factors and specific wordings can affect the answers they get from their interviews. Robert Cialdini talks about this in his book Pre-suasion. For example, charity street fundraisers get a much higher success rate if their first question is ‘do you consider yourself a helpful person?’ Of course, most people do – so now their helpfulness is front of mind and they are more likely to donate. Similarly, researchers influence the answers they receive, despite efforts to avoid doing so. It is impossible to eradicate and extremely difficult to allow for, but the deeper they go into it, the more reliable their findings.

7. What’s the most difficult negotiation you’ve been in?

I have found myself in various difficult positions. I have had guns – even machine guns – to my head, had to hide from tanks, and bribe my way out of the hands of genocidal killers. All part of the fun, I guess!

Simon Horton is founder of Negotiation Mastery and has taught hostage negotiators, some of the world’s largest law firms and banks, and many other household-name organisations. A visiting lecturer at Imperial College London, he is author of The Leader’s Guide to Negotiation, published by the Financial Times.

This article was first published in Issue 24 of Impact.