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
• Recognising 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 an typical Arab