(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)