Super U Podcast | How to TILT the Room: The Art of Negotiation, Influence & Leverage with Ken Sterling
What if the key to winning a negotiation isn’t being the loudest person in the room—but knowing when to listen, when to pause, and how to build trust?
On this episode of the Super U Podcast, Erik Qualman sits down with attorney, entrepreneur, talent executive, professor, and veteran dealmaker Ken Sterling, author of Tilt the Room. Ken shares the strategies he’s developed across law, business, technology, entertainment, and high-stakes dealmaking to help people influence outcomes without becoming aggressive or burning bridges.
Ken breaks down his Tilt the Room framework—trust, influence, leverage, and timing—and explains why successful negotiation is less about overpowering the other side and more about understanding people, preparing for the room, and creating relationships that last beyond a single deal.
The conversation explores how to:
• Build trust and rapport before you ever need leverage
• Read the room and understand the people sitting across the table
• Prepare thoroughly while staying flexible in the moment
• Use silence and the “power of the pause” to your advantage
• Stay calm under pressure instead of resorting to bullying
• Avoid overplaying your hand when you have leverage
• Give difficult feedback without destroying trust
• Stay focused and fully present during high-stakes conversations
• Approach negotiation as a long-term relationship rather than a one-time transaction
Ken also shares his memorable philosophy: “Never call someone’s baby ugly.” In negotiation and leadership, ideas can feel deeply personal—and dismissing someone’s idea can damage the trust and influence you’ve worked hard to build.
From billion-dollar dealmaking principles to everyday negotiations at work and home, this episode is a masterclass in how to tilt the room without tipping the scales too far. Tune in for practical insights on negotiation, leadership, focus, influence, and the human side of getting to yes.
Super U Podcast | How to TILT the Room: The Art of Negotiation, Influence & Leverage with Ken Sterling
Episode Preview:
“So there’s the wisdom we gain when we’re kids—you know, the Italian grandfather who says something that sticks with you—and then there’s the practice of actually living by it. I remember my Nonno saying a couple of things when I was young.
One of them was, “Always eat your own cooking.” The other was, “Never call anyone’s baby ugly.” And I took that very literally for years.
Then, many, many years later, I was on the co-founding team of a tech company. Citrix was involved, Microsoft was involved, and there were some very high-level executives in the room. Somebody came up with an idea that, look, I’m just going to say it, was a D-U-M-B idea. And I said, “That’s a dumb idea.”
One of the high-level executives at one of those tech companies—like number three in the company—pulled me aside. And I was in my 30s. I was kind of a punk.
He said, “Hey, you did really well, but you know, I need to tell you something: Never call anyone’s baby ugly.”
He didn’t have to say anything else. It was like a mic-drop moment. The aha moment for me was, “Oh, I didn’t have to say that was a bad idea. I didn’t have to call someone’s baby ugly, because ideas are babies to us.”
When you do that, you alienate people. You break trust, and then you lose your influence and your leverage.”
CONNECT WITH KEN STERLING
https://www.linkedin.com/in/
https://www.
To ensure you don’t miss future episodes, subscribe to our podcast by clicking here >> Super U Podcast. We hope these tips help unlock and unleash your inner superpower!
The Super U Podcast is hosted by #1 bestselling author and AI Keynote Speaker Erik Qualman.
You might also like: Best Commencement Speech
