Win-Win Negotiating

Overview

There is no doubt that negotiation is a central part of business life today, and that there are significant differences between those who are successful negotiators and those who are merely average. This workshop is intended to help workshop participants understand where they fit on the spectrum of negotiating success, and to understand what they need to do to improve. Emphasis is placed on collaborative forms of negotiation.

Workshop Objectives

• Explore and explain a negotiation methodology which has been adopted by a number of organisations looking to create close collaborative relationships with customers, suppliers, colleagues within their own businesses and others at the same time as driving hard in an approach to delivering significant benefits
• Share and lock in place with programme participants a series of routines for planning major negotiations which have been found to be successful, without being too time consuming
• Coach programme participants on their negotiating skill levels in a way which re-enforces their strengths and helps them to overcome blind spots, weaknesses and knowledge gaps.

Who Will the Workshop Benefit?

The workshop is aimed at anyone who is involved in negotiation; buyers, sellers, those in marketing, HR, engineering, outsourcing, legal and financial services. The content is aimed at buying and selling situations, internal negotiations with colleagues, HR issues, situations where others try to secure a negotiation advantage and even international negotiations.

Workshop Duration

2 Days

Workshop Content

DAY ONE

Alternative Forms of Negotiation:The opening session introduces the idea that negotiation takes different forms and sets out the characteristics and skills required for each.

• Competitive negotiations (including processes and methodologies)
• Forms of bargaining
• Collaborative and win / win negotiations (including processes and methodologies)
• Formal negotiation and tender situations
• Relationship management

The Negotiating Profiling Tool and Pre-Workshop Questionnaire: In this session the results of a pre-course negotiation profiling tool are explained, and the implications of the personal profiles are discussed.

• Assessing your natural style
• Experimenting during the training programme case studies
• Developing a personal development plan
• Prioritising your development plan

The Squares Negotiation Exercise: A simple negotiation exercise is used to explore and reinforce the concepts associated with win / win negotiations

• A chance to understand what win / win does and does not involve
• The skills required to conduct win / win negotiation
• The role of planning and identifying creative solutions

A Negotiation Business Game: Participants, working in teams, are asked to plan and conduct negotiations for a global material. The case study used reflects the type of environment which programme participants could be expected to face, without giving any of them an advantage through knowledge of the material. Roughly an hour is spent planning and two hours is spent in negotiation. The negotiations are video recorded for analysis on day two.

DAY TWO

Analysis of the Case Study: The opening session of day two is used to assess the behavioural aspects of the negotiation exercise

• What was done well, what could have been done better
• What processes, structures frameworks or methodologies were evident
• Review of the video tapes
• Teams assess opportunities for improvement
• Individuals prepare personal development plans

The Most Commonly Made Negotiating Errors: In this session, participants are asked to assess the extent to which they suffer from some of the most commonly made negotiation errors

• Mistakes in controlling the negotiation
• Mistakes associated with the relationship between the sides
• Failing to achieve
• Self assessment against the twenty most commonly made negotiating errors

Characteristics of Effective Negotiators: In the afternoon, participants reach agreement on the behaviours and approaches used by effective negotiators. The session covers:

• Planning
• Behaviours which contribute to success
• Behaviours to avoid
• Dealing with tricks and traps

Techniques of Persuasion: At the heart of negotiating and influencing skills are the techniques of persuasion which are available to us. Using a series of short exercises, participants explore issues such as:

• Dealing with logic
• Dealing with power
• Dealing with emotion
• Other approaches

Planning and Preparation Routines: The final session of the programme is used to set out approaches to negotiation planning and preparation which contribute to success

• How accomplished negotiators plan
• Particular requirements for complex negotiations
• Templates for competitive and collaborative negotiations
• Eight critical planning steps