Negotiating While Black: Be Who You Are to Get What You Want

Winner of the 2024 “Most Useful” Book by the Non-Obvious Book Awards

A real-world, one-of-a-kind resource for anyone who has ever been underestimated, overlooked, or misunderstood at the negotiating table.

There’s no shortage of negotiation books that advise you to “get to yes,” urge you to “never split the difference,” and push you to “ask for more.” But these one-size-fits-all negotiation techniques disregard the reality of our complex, multifaceted, multicultural world, where snap judgements are made based on perceived differences. When bias lies behind every negotiation, the only constant is you. Learn to leverage who you are—and gain the upperhand.

Negotiating While Black is the indispensable guide that lawyer and mediator Damali Peterman wishes had existed earlier, as she navigated workplaces as the only Black woman, advocated for her children attending predominantly white schools, and mediated countless other bias-ridden settings. Drawing on these experiences together with decades of wisdom as a trained negotiator in high-stakes situations, Peterman has developed successful strategies notably absent from other top negotiation books—tactics that work for all people, no matter your identity. From the Foundational Five skills to the Negotiation Superpowers, these tried-and-true techniques will lift you to the next level of winning.

Whether negotiating in the boardroom or in everyday life, Peterman shows how everything is potentially up for discussion—even when stakes (and emotions) are high. You can’t control bias, but by being yourself, you actually have a better shot at getting what you want. Because when you arrive prepared and proud of who you are, you’ll reap the rewards.

Damali Peterman is a highly regarded and sought-after lawyer, mediator, negotiator, educator, and speaker with nearly twenty years of experience in the alternative dispute resolution field. She is the founder and CEO of two successful, award-winning companies—Breakthrough ADR and Damali Law. Peterman currently lives outside of New York City with her husband, two young sons, and their dog.