About Us

Negotiable is dedicated to helping people improve their abilities to negotiate effectively, to manage conflict constructively, and to solve problems collectively. The ideas, advice, and tools offered through Negotiable are for anyone who finds themselves dealing with other people whose goals and positions depart at least somewhat from their own—which is to say: everyone.

We don’t assume that all of our users have the same specific objective, such as making the most money. Instead, we urge our users to define success for themselves, whether that means getting their way on the issues, creating or sustaining relationships, feeling comfortable with the process, and/or abiding by their own behavioral standards.

For more than half a century, social scientists and practitioners have been accumulating insights about how to negotiate and solve conflicts. These ideas have been offered up in classes and workshops, though many of these are expensive or time consuming—or they are part of an extended program of study for a degree. Nearly every year, another excellent book on the topic is published, offering up compelling stories and practical wisdom. And while some of these books go on, deservedly, to become bestsellers, only a small share of people ever buy or read a book about negotiation. We thought there could be another way to help people access this knowledge on their own terms and apply it to themselves and their situations. The result is Negotiable.

The people behind Negotiable

Negotiable was created by Daniel Ames, a social psychologist whose research and teaching revolve around negotiation and conflict, including how people get along, how people get their way, and how people judge and misjudge themselves and others. With a PhD from the University of California – Berkeley, Daniel has been a Professor at Columbia University’s Columbia Business School for over 15 years. During that time, he has taught negotiation skills to thousands of people, including CEOs from Manhattan, kindergarten teachers from Brooklyn, attorneys from Los Angeles, entrepreneurs from New Delhi, art curators from Nairobi, and non-profit leaders from Riyadh.

Editing, research, and planning were provided by Amy Sanidas, an information specialist with a background in design, art, and architecture.

The design and animation in our videos, and our visual identity, were created by Otto Steininger, a New York-based illustrator, graphic designer, and animator. Otto’s illustrations — often in a retro-futuristic style — have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and many other publications. Most recently he’s completed a mural for Warby Parker in Baltimore.

The music and sound design for our episodes were created by Joe Johnson, a composer whose work can be heard in many films and advertisements. Having toured the world as a performer, Joe has won numerous awards for his work, such as his sound design for Comedy Central's brand. More of his work can be found at: www.fnh.mx

Our web design was created by Steve Ensminger. A San Francisco-based designer, Steve's work spans from websites to branding to apps, including his own passion project oddwall.com, chronicling and showcasing street art in the Bay Area and elsewhere.

Our website was developed by Ascender Studios, a web strategy, design, and implementation shop based in New York City.