Below is a lesson from Bert Danner on LinkedIn on effective communication that involves emotional intelligence and trust, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

Bert Danner

Why do some negotiation theories fail in high stakes conversations?

Traditional negotiation theories like BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) and ZOPA (Zone of Possible Agreement) often fall short when the pressure is on in tough conversations.

Enter the Behavioral Change Stairway Model (BCSM), developed by the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit. Unlike academic theories that focus on logical trade-offs, BCSM recognizes that emotions drive decisions more than pure logic.

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Key Learnings:

• The Behavioral Change Stairway Model (BCSM) is more effective because it prioritizes emotional engagement over pure logic.
• BCSM’s five steps:
  1. Active Listening – Genuinely hearing the other person to establish connection.
  2. Empathy – Understanding emotions, not just words.
  3. Rapport – Building trust to lower defenses.
  4. Influence – Guiding perspective only after trust is established.
  5. Behavioral Change – Encouraging voluntary shifts in stance.
• Emotions, trust, and connection drive decisions more than spreadsheets and calculated alternatives.