Interpersonal Negotiations: Breaking Down the Barriers

Class Duration: 3 days

Course Description

Negotiation is inevitably at the heart of whatever your life circumstance, project, or initiative happens to be. A negotiation is any situation in which you are trying to achieve the approval, agreement, or action of another party. This course examines the structure, techniques and various approaches used during most negotiations.  During this class, you will learn the six basic skills of negotiating and discuss multiple ways to use each. In addition, you will learn to understand the other side’s situational perspective, set your own limits, ask effective questions, actively listen, get your point across, generate alternative solutions, and select an outcome that benefits both sides.  In the end, a negotiation involves reaching a mutually acceptable agreement, thereby closing the gap between what differing parties want.  At times, however, it may be necessary to walk away from a negotiation. Learn to walk away from the negotiation table and leave room for a graceful return by either party without destroying the business relationship.  Learn to negotiate from a place of strength.

You'll learn how to:

• Recognize and understand your own needs and those of the other person
• Assess the other person's behavioral and emotional responses
• Encourage mutual understanding and acceptance so both sides walk away satisfied
• Acknowledge your own and the other person's perceptions and beliefs
• Avoid getting mired in the process
• Be creative and persistent to address and resolve blocks to successful negotiation
  

Course Objective:
Employ a negotiation framework that encourages a positive outcome for both parties.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Course Content

Characteristics of Good Negotiators

Basic Negotiation Skills

• Preparation
• Goal Setting
• Setting Limits
• Listening
• Asking Questions

Body Language

• Matching Your Body Language with Your Words
• Reading Someone Else’s Body Language
• Interpreting Conflicting Messages
• Emphasizing with Body Language
• Don’t Believe Everything You See

Intuition and Decision Making

• The Conscious and Subconscious Mind
• Left Brain vs. Right Brain
• Processing Information for Decision Making
• Quieting Your Mind
• Brainstorming
• Heeding Special Messages
• Questionable Deals
• Pre-Buyer’s Remorse

Negotiating with Clarity

• Defining What Being Clear Means
• Organizing Your Thoughts for Clarity
• The Three T’s
• Knowing Your Purpose or Goals
• Keeping Your Commitments
• Getting Clarity from Others
• Saying No
• Barriers to Clarity
• The Cost of Not Being Clear
• Phrases NOT to Use During a Negotiation
• Things that Typically Confuse Communication

Maintaining Emotional Distance in a Negotiation

• Defining the Pause Button
• Knowing When to Pause
• Dealing with Hot Buttons and Other Emotional Responses
• Handling Stressful Situations

Negotiating with Difficult People

• Responding to Offensive Behavior
• Handling the Passive Aggressive Co-Worker
• Staying in Control During a Meeting
• Personality Types that Block Successful Negotiations

The Close

• Assessing the Deal
• Types of Deals
• Creating Win-Win Deals
• Understanding the Legal Definition of a Closed Deal
• Written vs. Oral Contracts
• Legal Protection Before the Contract
• Recognizing When to Close
• Knowing How to Close
• Barriers to Closing
• When the Deal is Done
• When the Deal Won’t Seem to Close

Negotiating Between Men and Women

• Tips and Strategies for Women
• Tips and Strategies for Men
• Negotiating with Your Spouse, Your Boss, or Your Important Customer

Complex Negotiations

• Handling the Media
• Controlling Your Emotions
• Taking a Vote
• Dealing with Multiple Parties at the Table
• Wading Through Multiple Issues

Negotiating Over the Telephone or Internet

• Putting in the Call
• Assembling the Participants
• Questions to ask on the Telephone
• Shaking Hand Over the Phone
• Negotiating via E-mail