Negotiation Skills Training Classes

Our public Negotiation classes and in house Negotiations classes are enlightening, educational, measurable and fun. Negotiation training classes can be scheduled at your offices or through our open enrollment classes. We do offer negotiation skills training classes to the general public.

Contact us today to discuss your specific Negotiation training needs or to sign up for one of our public negotiations classes. 

Participants in the Win- Win Negotiations class will learn to:

• Develop an effective plan and strategy for any negotiation
  
• Know when and when not to negotiate
  
• Negotiate face-to-face, on the phone, and through e-mail
  
• Learn to become a more persuasive negotiator
  
• Develop a common negotiating language with the other parties
  
• Use negotiation techniques that pull information from the other parties
  
• Read client and employee behaviors styles to maximize closure
  
• Recognize interests and issues and avoid unnecessary positions
  
• Neutralize manipulative negotiation tactics
  
• Minimize negotiation conflicts and deadlocks both internally and externally
  
• Coordinate negotiations within client organization
  
• Meet business objectives by focusing on planning rather than on tactics

 

I received numerous emails in response to my previous article, "Stop the Blame Game: Learn how to Successfully Negotiate with Your Partner," asking for more information about this important topic. In this article, we will continue the discussion.

Healthy relationships are built on a sense of trust that your partner is on your side even when the two of you don't see eye to eye. Since greater self-disclosure is required in a relationship than in other forms of negotiations, it is essential that a foundation of trust exists in the relationship so that each of you can feel safe enough to take emotional risks. It is vital that you work as a couple to understand each other and the feelings, emotions and fears that drive each of your behavior before moving to negotiation. If a level of trust is not present in your relationship you may need to work with a couple’s therapist to help set that foundation.

Qualities required for effective negotiation:

Trusting that your point of view will be heard

Respect for your partner and yourself

Openness and honesty

Curiosity about your partner's part in the struggle

Motivation to listen to your partner's point of view

Willingness to express your own view

Listening with kindness and not interrupting

Motivation to find a solution that is mutually satisfying

Preparing For a Negotiation

Couples often make common mistakes during a negotiation where one partner agrees in order to avoid tension (or to keep the peace), or pushes too hard to rally for his or her own solution. Sometimes the fear of disrupting the dynamics of the relationship, reprisal from a partner, or fear of offending a partner will stop one of the partners from entering into a negotiation. By learning how to prepare for a negotiation, you and your spouse can begin to create the successful foundation for a resolution of a problem. A good couple’s therapist can also function as a safe zone to help you both navigate the bumpy part (i.e. the emotional part) of negotiations.

Here are some questions to help you prepare for negotiations:

What is the most effective behavior you can bring to the negotiation? Do you want to be calm, open, honest, curious, kind, flexible?

What outcome do you each want from the negotiation?

How important is this outcome to you?

Where are you willing to compromise and what are you absolutely unwilling to concede?

If an agreement isn't reached, what alternatives do you have? Are these good or bad?

How important to you is it if you don't reach an agreement?

A solution should be agreed to, put into place and tested so that each of you has an opportunity to see how it feels. Please know that there is no such thing as a perfect solution. The best outcome of a negotiation is one in which each partner feels that they can live with the solution and each has given up things and compromised in ways that feel comfortable and acceptable.

A good solution should respect the integrity of your relationship. Assume that trial and error will be part of the process. Set a time to come back together to evaluate the solution. Did it respect the integrity of your relationship? Is the solution working for each of you? The evaluation process is important in order to maintain the feelings of trust that good negotiation creates. In fact, this is exactly how trust is built!

Learning how to successfully negotiate the sticky issues in your relationship can bring the two of you closer together. Work as a team. Respect one another's feelings and listen to each other's suggestions. With a little guidance, the two of you can become better at negotiating so that you can experience more joy and love in your relationship and leave the hurt behind.

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