Negotiating Courses are not just for those in business. Knowing how to negotiate successfully is a skill that can be applied to just about every area of your life. The best negotiation strategy is finding a win/win. This keeps everyone happy!
Understanding Negotiation
Negotiation is a part of life. Every day you negotiate with someone about something. Much of this is informal, like where to go for dinner or what time works best for a meeting. You use negotiation skills to get what you want, or reach an agreement that you can live with.
Using your negotiation skills, you build trust in your relationships. People who trust you are more likely to extend courtesies and be more open-minded. Finding a mutually agreeable outcome is easier with someone you trust. This applies to negotiations in the workplace and your personal life.
You can learn the basic elements of negotiation, tips for negotiation and ways to practice those skills. Whether it’s informal or formal, career-oriented or otherwise, nearly everyone can learn something in negotiating skills courses.
Basic Elements of Negotiation
There are three basic elements of negotiation. At least one of these affect the outcome of your win/win, whether it’s formal or informal.
Attitude
Your attitude and the attitude of the other person impacts the way you handle the negotiation. If one person is defensive or strongly against the other’s position, it impacts the way you negotiate. Remember to keep your own attitude in check and avoid being emotional.
Knowledge
The more you know about the subject, the more you can participate in the discussion. Do your research and be prepared for the discussion. And depending on the situation, you may need to use different negotiation tactics. Negotiating skills courses help you identify which approach works best in different scenarios.
Interpersonal Skills
Having good interpersonal skills are key to effective negotiation. Not everyone is born with the natural ability to communicate effectively, or how to use problem-solving methods. But with the right information and practice, you can grow these skills and become an effective negotiator.
Tips for Getting the Win/Win
In negotiating courses you learn the stages of negotiation, various negotiation strategies and when to use them. Finally, you will learn a little about yourself too. Everyone has their own personality, and you learn how to negotiate with people with different personalities.
Negotiation courses also give you tips for successful negotiations. Here are some tips for formal or planned negotiations. Many of these also help in day-to-day discussions.
- Know your topic. Do your needed research!
- Mentally define your win. You know your best case ending, but figure out what you will accept and at what point you walk away.
- Look for the other point of view. Understanding the other person’s win state helps you get the best outcome.
- Actively listen. Ask the other person about their win and get their main concerns. Spend time actively listening instead of talking.
- State your ask. Explain what you need and your thoughts on the outcome. Remember to stay calm and non-confrontational.
- Find the best time. Think about when everyone will be relaxed and open to discussion. You also need to know much time the discussion should take.
- Keep your emotions in check. Getting emotional affects your judgement and ability to think clearly. Therefore, make a conscious effort to stay calm.
- Think win/win. Forget the outcome that someone wins and someone loses. A creative solution gives everyone an acceptable outcome.
Finally, accept that sometimes everyone needs to reset and start fresh the next day. It gives you and the other person time to step back, think and relax.
Have a look at the Courses.ie database to find the negotiating skills courses available around Ireland.
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