Mastering Negotiations: The Principles and Practice

A training programme whose contents have been developed around six “Key Negotiation Lessons,” namely:

• Avoiding unreasonable or arbitrary positions
• Avoiding letting prejudices show through
• Avoiding negotiating by demands and ultimatums
• Presenting arguments calmly, without personalizing
• Explaining positions logically and frankly
• Recognizing legitimate concerns and needs of other side

Broad Competencies Addressed

• Ability to assess one’s central negotiating style - collaborate, compromise, defeat, withdraw or accommodate.
• Ability to assess one’s true power in any negotiation process
• Ability to concede without losing out
• Ability to employ any of the several tactics negotiators use and manage when any of the tactics are being tried by other parties
• Ability to assess a true crisis situation and not a contrived one, so as to employ the right crisis negotiating tactics at the right time.

Course Contents

Day One

• Laying the Groundwork
• Setting the Time and Place
• Establishing Common Ground
• Creating a Negotiation Framework
• The Negotiation Process
• Personal Preparation
• Rules for Commercial Negotiations
• Cost of Negotiated Solution
• Negotiating Concerns
• Interests, Needs and Alternatives in a Negotiation
• How to Improve Your Negotiating Results.

Day Two

• Basic Negotiation Styles:
• Win-lose
• Lose- lose
• Compromise
• Collaborate
• Timing for Negotiation Advantage
• The Five Types of Power in a Negotiation Process
• How to Break an Impasse
• Managing Your Ego
• Closing with Confirmation

Day Three

• Negotiating Positions
• Terms and Conditions
• Negotiating Interests
• Underlying motivations
• Negotiating Options
• Inventing an option is not a commitment
• Negotiating Standards
• Make the negotiation a joint search for independent standards
• People Issues
• Ease and tone of communication
• Negotiation Alternatives
• Choose your ZOPA
• Establish your BATNA
• Negotiation Tactics
• Glossary of Tactics
• Culture Sensitivity
• Negotiating with a typical European
• Negotiating with a typical American
• Negotiating with a typical African
• Negotiating with a typical Arab