Order Out of Chaos

A crisis negotiator's guide to influence and persuasion.

As one of the world's most experienced kidnap-for-ransom negotiators, Scott Walker has successfully resolved life-or-death crises, facing down gang leaders, pirates, cyberhackers, and extortionists. Now he's bringing the lessons he learned in those situations to you.

In this book you will learn his essential negotiation principles and strategies, as well as his tools and techniques, all of which are supported by astonishing real-life case studies. You can begin to add these techniques to your repertoire immediately to become a world-class negotiator, capable of persuading anyone, no matter how tenacious and uncompromising they are.

Built on decades of scientific and academic research, along with Walker's extensive experience, Order out of Chaos gives you simple, proven approaches. You'll learn how to slow down high-pressure moments, practice proactive listening, develop your emotional intelligence, and manage conflict. Applied in low-pressure, everyday negotiations with one person or in complex, high-risk scenarios with multiple hostile adversaries, these principles will help you master the moment, communicate effectively, and achieve the outcomes you want.

Whether you're an executive in a multinational organization, the owner of a small business, a local sports team coach, or the manager of a single household, the principles and techniques covered in this book will help you navigate the common pitfalls of negotiation and give you the confidence to succeed every time.