Deadlock! We’ve all been there. You’ve tried your best to get people on board with your plan or idea but there has been no agreement. Neither side is backing down. To move forward, you have to negotiate!

Being able to successfully negotiate without damaging your stakeholder relationships is a key skill to have, especially if you work in a matrix structure. Negotiation is an ongoing skill you will develop throughout your career, however most people do it terribly – especially when ego gets involved!

Before we look at how to negotiate, remember the requirement to negotiate at all, stems from some level of conflict. This could be a conflict that is very visible, is negative or a simple passive conflict of expectation.

It’s important to remember:
• In your job conflict is inevitable
• Conflict is neither good nor bad
• Conflict does not have to result in winners and losers
• All parties tend to believe that their opinion is facts
• Too often both parties perceive all acts destructive that are carried out by the other party

“I’ve achieved an idea of my own goals and values and strategies” – Course Participant

Dare2Lead breaks down the components of the negotiation process, and trains and coaches our participants to Win-Win solutions every time.

So how do you actually negotiate?

At Dare2Lead we train our course participants on the Harvard Model of negotiation. As part of this, participants are encouraged to ask themselves the following four questions.

1) Am I solving the problem or trying to beat the other person?

Remove the person and ego from the problem and focus on the problem

2) Do I know WHY they are taking the stance they are?

Understand the other person’s objectives or their business area

3) What is the new or alternative solution?

What do we both agree on, and by following step two what can we build on

4) What “criteria” are we judging success by?

What does success look like? What is most beneficial for business/customer?

We also explore the strategies that participants can use for their conversations when negotiating. This can be difficult, but with the right approach you can ensure that these sometimes-difficult conversations can be productive for all parties involved.

To find out more on negotiation and our courses, email info@dare2lead.co.uk today for more information.