Concept
"That's Right"
In Chris Voss's method, 'that's right' is the breakthrough moment when the other side hears their own situation summarised so accurately that they feel fully understood, as opposed to 'you're right', which usually means they want the conversation to end.
Voss treats 'that's right' as the turning point of a negotiation. People who feel understood stop defending and become open to changing their minds, while 'you're right' is often a polite way of saying 'enough'. The tool that earns it is a summary: restating the facts the other person described and labeling the emotion behind them, without adding your own view. Labels, mirrors and no-oriented questions all prepare the ground. The common mistake is celebrating 'you're right' as agreement. It is a sign that the summary has missed something, and the listening should continue.
A real-life example
A team lead in Ankara faces a senior developer angry about a deadline. Instead of defending the date, he summarises: 'You wrote this module, you got no time to test it, and if a bug shows up your name is on it again. That seems exhausting.' She pauses and says 'That's right.' Minutes later they agree to cut the scope together.
How to use it
- 1Summarise in two parts: the facts they described, then the feeling behind them, starting with 'It seems like…'.
- 2Leave your own view out of the summary until you hear 'that's right'.
- 3If you hear 'you're right', ask one more question and summarise again.