It’s the end of an era. After over four years and 100 shifts, it’s with a heavy heart that I’ve decided to take a break from volunteering on the crisis centre’s phone lines. I’m proud to be leaving with experience on five different text/phone crisis support platforms, including a national suicide prevention helpline. Now that’s all well and good, but what does this have to do with Real Estate you might ask?
It was serendipitous timing. While I was reflecting on my time there and lessons learned, distress phone lines also came up listening to Chris Voss’ book on negotiation. If you haven’t heard the name, Chris Voss is the former chief international hostage negotiator for the FBI. He has made a second career from his elite skills by teaching other industries about the art of skillful negotiation. I mean, who better to teach this material? Here’s someone who’s successfully negotiated for the highest stakes, under maximum pressure and scrutiny.
Chris describes that at first he was rejected from the hostage negotiation program due to a lack of experience and related education. Being the persistent type of guy that he is, he pushed on, insisting that there must be something he could do to get in. The supervisor suggested that he volunteer at a distress centre, and then perhaps he would have developed a relevant enough skill set to be considered. I felt a burst of pride when I heard him describe his experience on the phone line and the foundation it laid for the success of his future career.
It wasn’t until I heard him speak about the skills that I too had acquired from the phone line that I realized how much they contributed to solid communication and potent negotiations. Some of these skills include:
- Getting comfortable with and effectively using periods of silence
- Building rapport and connection in short periods of time
- Staying calm and effective under intense pressure
- The art of the open-ended question
- Subtle persuasion
- Effectively inviting someone to collaboratively problem solve
I volunteered at the centre as a way to give back and feel like I was having an impact. While developing skills applicable to real estate wasn’t my intention, it sure does come in handy. Negotiations are an integral part of effectively representing a buyer or seller and is relevant at each step of the process. This is why I’ve dedicated much of my continuing education and personal development to this topic. So thank you to the crisis line for the memorable volunteer opportunity and the incredible experience. For more on negotiations and strategy check this out.
