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Chris Voss & The Black Swan Group - Do They Doubt You? Use it to Your Advantage (Accusations Audit)

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Author: Chris Voss & The Black Swan Group
Categories: Education Productivity
Tags: education, productivity
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 12:42 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Open a negotiation or difficult conversation with an "accusations audit," deliberately naming the negative assumptions the other party may hold about you before they say them. Build a list of at least six accusations, aiming for a much longer list, and plan to voice them early in the conversation. The approach works because it defuses hostility and makes the other side feel heard.

Key Points

  • The accusations audit is a technique where you voice the other party's likely negative views of you before they do, which lowers their defensiveness.
  • Aim for a minimum of six accusations, which the speaker calls a "ground ball"; the goal is a "grand slam," so you should brainstorm far more.
  • Be aggressive and thorough: consider every negative opinion, assumption, or impression the other side could hold about you.
  • Expect the other party to interrupt, either by telling you that you are being too hard on yourself or by asking to get to the point.
  • An interruption is a favorable outcome, because the conversation then moves toward your goal and the other side appears to have initiated it, protecting their autonomy.
  • Even if they stop you early, you still need to address the remaining accusations later in the conversation, or they will resurface and cause problems.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions:
    • Open with pleasantries (for example, "Hi, how are you?"), then launch into the accusations audit.
    • Before the conversation, write a list of at least six accusations; if you produce 17, mentally prepare to get through all 17 at the start.
    • Brainstorm every negative opinion, assumption, or impression the other party could have about you, and put each on the list.
    • Start with the accusations and mentally prepare to voice the full list early on.
    • If they stop you after a few items by saying you are being too hard on yourself, or that they have other things to do and want to get to the point, move to the main discussion.
    • Address any unspoken accusations throughout the rest of the conversation rather than leaving them unaddressed.
  • The speaker frames the goal as protecting the other party's autonomy, so the eventual direction appears to be their idea.
  • The speaker presents the technique as a sports analogy: six is the baseline, and a larger number signals more thorough preparation.

Bottom Line

Preparation matters most: write a long, honest list of the other side's likely doubts before the conversation, then voice them early and return to any you did not get to.