(Some additional comments on negotiations cont. 8)

Some 'dos and don'ts' of Negotiating

. Do's

‐ do listen carefully to the other party

‐ do leave enough room to manoeuvre in your proposal

‐ do feel free to reject the first offer received

‐ do make conditional offers, such as " if you do this, we will do that"

‐ do probe the attitudes of the opposition " what would you feel if........."

‐ do be prepared to remain silent

. Don'ts

‐ don't make too many concessions at an early stage

‐ don't make your offer so extreme that you lose face if you have to back down

‐ don't ever say "never"

‐ don't answer questions directly with a simple yes or no

‐ don't make the opposition look foolish

‐ don't start speaking until you have something relevant to say

‐ don't use humour that could be interpreted as being too clever or smug

‐ don't start speaking until the others have finished

‐ don' t fall into the trap called "competitive arousal" ‐ it is an adrenaline‐fuelled emotional state that is aimed at beating an opponent at all costs rather than maximising value. This can occur when rivalry is most intense and/or when under time pressure

. After hearing the other party's proposal, summarise their proposal as you understand it. Use questions to seek clarification

. Practise your signal to a variety of tactics/ploys that are often used in negotiations, eg ignoring a ploy will neutralise the intended affect, personal attacks should be deflected with humour rather than anger, etc

. Remember: a ploy/tactic by the other party has 3 aims

‐ to distract your team, allowing the other side to dominate discussions

‐ to shift the emphasis of negotiation in order to shape the deal on terms that are purely to the benefit of the opposition

‐ to manipulate your team into closing negotiations before you are entirely satisfied with terms being offered

. Some tactics used are

‐ making threats

‐ offering insults

‐ bluffing

‐ using intimidation

‐ dividing and ruling

‐ using leading questions

‐ making emotional appeals

‐ testing the boundaries

. Never take things personally otherwise you will lose control of the situation. Concentrate on the issues

. Methods of closing a negotiation

making concessions that are acceptable to all parties (proposing and accepting concessions that help to clinch the deal without jeopardising your position)

splitting the difference between all parties (agreeing to all sides involved in the negotiations moving towards the middle ground in order to reach deal)

giving one party a choice of 2 acceptable alternatives (encouraging the other party to move forward by offering them 2 different options from which to choose)

introducing new incentives or sanctions (bring pressure to bear on the other party by introducing new incentives or sanctions)

introducing new ideas or facts at a late stage (bring new ideas earlier to provide an incentive of new discussion that might lead to an agreement)

suggesting an adjournment when a stalemate occurs (adjourning allows each side to consider what will happen if there is no agreement)

. When negotiations breakdown, immediate action is vital to prevent the situation becoming irretrievable. The longer a breakdown is left to fester, the harder it is to restore the negotiation

. Once the decision is agreed upon, then an action plan for implementation needs to be drawn up ASAP

(sources: James Sebenius, 2001; Mike Hanley, 2007b; David Lax et al, 2007; Martyn Newman, 2007)

 

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