The playbook
Negotiation guides, written with real dialogue
Each guide covers one move or one real situation: the direct answer up top, when it earns its keep, when it backfires, and the exact lines that make it work - then a scenario to drill it against an AI opponent that pushes back like the real thing.
Real situations
What to Say When HR Offers Severance
The package is written. Your signature is the only thing they still need.
SituationThe Counter Offer Email That Doesn't Apologize
Enthusiasm up front, one number, no apology anywhere.
SituationHow to Respond to a Lowball Offer
An opening, nothing more. Answer it like one.
SituationHow to Negotiate Rent (Yes, It's Negotiable)
A good tenant is worth money. Price yours.
SituationHow to Ask for a Raise Without Making It Weird
Your manager is your advocate. Arm them.
The eight techniques
Mirroring: Make Them Say More Than They Meant To
They said more than they meant to. Mirror it.
SilenceTactical Silence: The Pause That Moves Numbers
The seconds after their offer are free. Don't buy them back with words.
AnchorAnchoring: Set the Number Everyone Negotiates Against
The first defensible number owns the conversation.
Tag ItLabeling: Name What They're Feeling - Out Loud
The constraint they won't state is the one running the room.
Flip ItFlip It: Put Them in Your Position
Make their 'no' answer your question.
Get AheadGet Ahead: Name Their Objection Before They Do
An objection you name first arrives disarmed.
Plan BPlan B: Walk-Away Power, Said Out Loud - Calmly
An alternative they don't know about puts no pressure on them.
Pre-FramePre-Frame: Break the Big No Into Small Yeses
You can't move the whole boulder. Move a stone.
Choosing how to practice
Should You Practice Negotiation With ChatGPT?
ChatGPT helps you script the conversation. Surviving it is the other half.
ComparisonThe Best Ways to Practice Negotiation
If practice never changed your pulse, it was studying.
ComparisonNegotiation Course vs Practice: Which Do You Actually Need?
Courses teach the frameworks. Pressure is a separate curriculum.
ComparisonPracticing Never Split the Difference
The best $15 in negotiation. The freeze comes anyway.
ComparisonThe Three Tools Called 'AI Negotiation Coach' (and Which One You Need)
Three tools share the name. Advice, delivery, or reps - pick your gap first.
ComparisonNegotiation Simulators Compared: Classroom, DIY, and AI
Roles, stakes, resistance, debrief - every good simulation has all four.
ComparisonA Yoodli Alternative for Negotiation Practice
How you sound is one half of the conversation. What you say and concede is the other.
ComparisonNegotiation Roleplay Exercises That Create Real Pressure
A briefed partner is the best sparring you can get. The brief is below.
ComparisonThe Best AI Negotiation Practice Tools in 2026, Ranked by Job
Four tools, four different jobs. Ranked by your gap, criteria shown.