Chicago Professor Shermin Kruse Introduces Cognitive Empathy as a Negotiation Tactic and How to Get a Seat at the Table

CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- At nine years old, Shermin Kruse witnessed a rare but important occurrence that would eventually set the course for a future career in law, storytelling, expert negotiating, teaching, and producing thought-provoking events. Today, this Northwestern Pritzker School of Law professor is thrilled to announce the launch of her inaugural Tactical Empathy Master Class on Saturday June 4^th that will showcase how cognitive empathy can offer a leg up in any negotiation no matter what position of power (or powerlessness) a person may start from. In addition, Kruse was selected as a featured speaker and will be taking the stage at TEDxReno on Saturday, May 21^st with the titled talk "Negotiating from a Place of Weakness Using Cognitive Empathy."

While Kruse spent most of her childhood in Iran, through the 1980s amidst morality guards and during the war, it is where she learned that powerlessness was not just about bombs and brutal governments but also in being a minority, a woman, poor, and an immigrant. These circumstances served to weaken Kruse's bargaining position in nearly every negotiation in her life until she discovered the skills of tactical cognitive empathy which helped to raise her positions in her academic, professional, and personal life. 

"Today's negotiation trainers tell us to separate the people from the problem to find a fair resolution or give advice such as ending sentences in an upward inflection to sound less threatening to the other side," explains Kruse. "But what if you're the weaker party - whether it's by position in society, gender, race, economic status, or employment position -how do you have a chance at the table at all?" 

In both her Master Class and TEDx talk, Kruse will reveal tactical cognitive empathy as the skill of understanding the thoughts and emotions of the counterpart without feeling emotionally attached to them. By using concrete tools and skills, Kruse will teach how to weaponize empathy to flip the power-switch in your favor in all negotiations, from the bargains that help you thrive in an overwhelming corporate world to those that may keep a family safe.

A highly coveted speaker, Kruse is passionate about topics relating to complex negotiation, tactical empathy, stoicism, change-agency, leadership, and professional development and often speaks on issues of international relations, non-profit management, and civil & human rights. Dedicated to her local and global community, Shermin holds the following positions: co-founder of the NGO of Pasfarda Arts and Culture Exchange; founding member of the Chicago Council for the American Writers Museum; Executive Producer/ Director of TEDxWrigleyville; and former Director of ACLU of Illinois, RefuSHE, and Innovation80 Fund.

Tactical Empathy Master Class will feature five modules, approximately 2.5 hours of video content and various "bonus videos" along with tactical empathy tools. Additionally, Kruse has checklists designed to advance student learning, practice assignments to perfect tactical empathy skills, and advanced considerations such as lie spotting and tonal inflection techniques!

To sign up for Tactical Empathy Master Class, please visit here by Friday, May 20^th for a special rate of $157. After that, the course is $197 and will be available to all subscribers as of June 4^th. 

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SOURCE Shermin Kruse