Malene Rix Executive Advisor in Negotiation, Facilitation and Leadership

Neverending Negotiations Using Negotiation to Get Results

Programme

 Negotiation as an everyday tool

  Perceptions of a good result

 Disagreement at the core of negotiation

 Overview of The Four Phases of Negotiation

Negotiation

  ’A morally preferable way of ordering human affairs’

  Use it when you want to change something or get something for yourself or others.

  Use it when you get stuck in disagreement at a meeting or during a process

 When you get a ’no’, this is when the negotiation starts!

Negotiation

 …is a process, where two or more parties, with different needs, wishes and wants, attempt to come to an agreement

 …happens everywhere: in the workplace, at home, in a wide range of situations

 …is neverending and it is something we all do really well!

A Great Deal

 Content: Often we focus on what we negotiate, the facts and figures

  Process: Paying attention to how we negotiate is just as important because the process itself will be the filter through which we assess the result

  Relationship: How we interact with the others also influence our evaluation of the result

Process as filter

  The process and the relationship become the filter through which we evaluate the agreement

  ’Filters’ in negotiation are affected by our expectations of others; gender, age, nationality, jobtitle etc.

  ’Filters’ can become an impediment if the assumptions behind them are based on prejudices

Evaluating the Result

  Research shows that the way we negotiate with each other and the relationship we build are hugely important factors when we decide if a result is good

 Negotiation technique focuses on making the process – and consequently the relationship - as constructive as possible

  Respectful communication, balanced concessions and a keen focus on honouring the interests behind the demands are key

Make a demand   Think about something you would like for

yourself; at work, from a client, at home

  Turn to your neighbour and tell them what you want. They represent the person you would be negotiating with

  Your neighbour will listen to your demand but also say ’no’ – repeatedly and with emphasis

 When the time is up, switch roles and do the same again

Challenges   Negotiation is a process where we make

demands and claim something for ourselves

  It is also a process, where we will get a ’no’ to our demands (if we get a ’yes’ there is no need to negotiate)

  Making demands we know will be met by a ’no’ can be hard

  Experiencing the rejection implied in a ’no’ affects us

  In some cultures saying ’no’ directly is avoided, but the disagreement is still there

Pitfalls

 We make modest demands to avoid the ’no’

 We give too many and too big concessions to the other part or simply give up

 We present a lot of arguments and try to convince the other to accept our version of the world and so we get stuck

 We get angry or upset and this affects the process and the relationship

The Four Phases

  Phase 1: Negotiating with yourself; prepare an ambitious first demand

  Phase 2: Influencing your counterpart; plant the seeds for the deal

  Phase 3: The Negotiation Meeting; facilitate the meeting to avoid the classic pitfalls

  Phase 4: After the Meeting; focus on continued relationshipbuilding

A Recipe for Success  Make sure you all agree on the framework

before you meet

  Interview each other: Start the meeting by everyone saying what their demands and interests are

  Brainstorm ideas: Find and create as many possibilities for an agreement as you can – expand the pie before you share it

  Trade: Make sure everyone gets something and strike a balanced deal

Learn more…

 Website: www.malenerix.dk/english