Powerful Negotiation Skills

This two-day workshop is for those new to negotiations or for those who wish to refresh and/or enhance their existing negotiation skills. The workshop will be highly interactive and will operate through a mix of lectures, exercises and case study scenarios.

The intention of this workshop is to familiarise you with the essential components of effective negotiation skills. By the end of the workshop you will be able to:

• Understand why win/win is the only sustainable relationship strategy in today’s difficult economic conditions
• Recognise your own existing negotiation styles and learn some alternative effective styles
• Plan for an effective negotiation
• Explain the phases of the negotiation process
• Use interpersonal and communication skills to enhance your success in negotiations

This course will be suitable for anyone involved in negotiation, who wishes to enhance or refresh their current negotiation skills. The skills covered during the workshop will be relevant to those who do external negotiations with clients and suppliers as well as those who negotiate with internal colleagues and other departments.

Objectives of the course

Discussion of the two major pre-requisites for a successful negotiation

• Shared needs – both sides need something from the other
• The right to say ‘no’

What is your current negotiation style?

• Understand your habits, beliefs and strategies that govern your existing attitudes to negotiation
• Discuss which strategies can help or hinder in our work negotiations and alternative strategies to help achieve negotiation

Win/win does not mean give in

• What are the preconceptions about win/win
• How do we pursue a true win/win strategy
• How to meet and protect our own needs as well as respect the needs of the other party
• Explore win/win through a demonstration of the psychology with which people approach a negotiation

Negotiation planning

• Strengths and weaknesses matrix
• Concession patterns
• Exploration of options
• Objectives
• The importance of the long term perspective

Understand the phases of a negotiation

A brief outline of the negotiation model of principled negotiation

• Uncovering interests
• Creating options
• The human factor
• Objective standards
• Alternatives
• Closure

Case study – role play of a negotiation scenario

Feedback of results and outcomes of each negotiation

Closing remarks including major learning points from the day