The ability to be able to negotiate effectively is a critical competency in both work and life situations. An effective negotiator will draw upon a range of communication and interpersonal skills as well as focusing on issues of the process, planning and objective setting.

Typically, negotiations occur at both the individual and team level internally within peer groups and with employees as well as externally with suppliers and customers. Closely associated with the negotiation process is the possibility of disagreement and dispute conflict; so it is appropriate to consider how best to reduce the risk of disputes and how to resolve then if they do occur.

This course will cover they key stages of negotiation, consider how disputes arise and provide the delegates with an effective toolbox of skills to enable them to follow a structured process. The delegates will be introduced to different negotiation styles and tactics and learn how to recognise and counter them. There will be an opportunity for delegates to carry out a self assessment of their own skills over the whole range of the negotiation topic and they will consider the differences between negotiating individually or as part of a team.

The programme culminates in a realistic dispute resolution case study and the delegates are encouraged to reach an agreement before the forces of law intervene in the dispute.

The Goals

• Understand the different phases of the negotiation process
• Recognise the significance of planning and objective setting
• Achieve ‘win-win’ outcomes within the bargaining process
• Engage in negotiations with confidence
• Identify the causes of disagreements & disputes
• Understand the significance of disputes and the long term impact they can have on relationships
• Identify and use strategies to resolve the causes of disputes, rather than deal with symptoms
• Be sensitive to situations and issues likely to result in disputes
• Have confidence in confronting and managing disputes
• An overall objective is to create a supportive learning environment where participates are able to practice newly developed skills. The creation of an enjoyable learning environment will facilitate the realisation of the course objectives

The Process

The training is tutor led through highly interactive discussion groups, syndicate exercises, easily understood case studies and role playing in a realistic dispute resolution scenario. A formal framework is built around the delegate’s current knowledge and they are encouraged to re-discover and share their knowledge and experiences. Delegates are encouraged to develop both their short and long term memories to increase the value for money provided for the employer.

Based around their self assessments, the delegates are able to seek coaching and counselling from the tutor during the private study periods either with their peer group or individually.

The Benefits

The seminar will enhance the knowledge and skill set of the delegates and improve their confidence level when faced with the prospect of difficult negotiations such as those encountered during the process of resolving contractual disputes.

The Results

The improved knowledge and skills gained by the delegates will enable them to make a greater and more effective contribution in the avoidance of disputes and their resolution thereby helping the organisation to reduce the incidences of escalation to the external and costly process of Arbitration or Litigation.

The Core Competencies

• The relevance and importance of negotiations
• Understanding the four phases of the negotiation process – Preparation, Discussion, Proposal, Bargaining & Closure
• Recognising different negotiation styles, including participants undertaking a self-analysis
• The how and why of disputes
• Use of non-verbal communication techniques (body language) to aid understanding
• Examining different strategies and tactics for arriving at ‘win –win’ situations
• Dealing with the difficult negotiators
• Dealing with the frustrations of negotiations
• Practicing negotiation strategies and skills and evaluating their effectiveness
• Self analysis of existing styles for resolving disputes
• Dispute resolution and the contractual process – Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Identifying the appropriateness of different strategies and approaches for resolving conflict & disputes
• Practicing ‘new’ approaches to resolving disputes and their effectiveness

The Programme Content

• Fundamentals of Negotiation
  • Negotiation defined
  • Disputes and the need for resolution
  • Place of negotiation in the contractual resolution process
  • Commercial impact of the breakdown of negotiations
  • Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)
  • The four phase process of negotiation
    • Preparation
    • Discussion
    • Proposal
    • Bargain & Close
• The Negotiator’s Toolbox
  • Preparation
    • Negotiating position setting
    • Prioritisation
    • Entry & exit points
    • Information needs
    • Team negotiation - roles
• Discussion
  • Conducive environment
  • Relationship building
  • Information acquisition
  • Forms of questions - open, closed, comparative
• Proposal
  • The conditional proposal - “If/then…”
  • Unconditional proposals – “ Thank & Bank”
  • Degrees of freedom
• Bargain and Close
  • Trading up and Trading down
  • Concessions
  • Recording the outcome
• Negotiating Styles, Tactics and Ploys
• Cultural & international issues
• Red, Purple & Blue negotiators
  • Non-verbal communication
    • Interpretation of Signals – arms, legs and eyes
    • What is in a handshake?
    • Spatial zones and spatial awareness
  • Make time your friend
  • Silence as a tactic and how to counter it
  • Ploys as “power plays” and how to counter
• Personal Fitness and Dealing with Difficult Negotiations
  • Interests, positions and escalation
    • Push/pull
    • Good guy/bad guy
  • Negotiator as a Mediator
  • Team negotiations
  • Proposals and persuasion
  • What’s In It For Me (the WIIFM solution)
  • Personal skills fitness check
• Putting it All Into Practice
  • Negotiation case study
  • Team allocation and simulation exercise
  • Analysis of performance
  • The Do’s and Don’ts of Negotiating
  • Improving what we do – action planning
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