negotcore.docVIP

CORE NEGOTIATION CONCEPTS Rex Mitchell Opportunities and requirements for negotiation (and persuasion) are everywhere, everyday Negotiation: * Conferring with another so as to arrive at the settlement of some matter (dictionary) * Negotiation is a basic means of getting what you want from others. It is back-and-forth communication designed to reach an agreement when you and the other side have some interests that are ...opposed. (Fisher Ury) Negotiation myths (first four from Thompson 1998): 1. Good negotiators are born - they are self-made, requires study and practice 2. Experience is a great teacher - experience can improve negotiation skills to some extent, but have to learn from the experience - not unaided, unreflected, without feedback. Experience tends to improve our confidence, but not our accuracy/effectiveness 3. Good negotiators take lots of risks - while this may work in the movies, it isn’t in the script for real negotiations. Some negotiators may do this occasionally, but after carefully considering risks potential benefits. They know how to evaluate a situation and make an optimal choice given the information available. 4. Good negotiators rely on intuition - Effective negotiators are self-aware and very conscious of what they are doing and why. Most of the important work of negotiation takes place before meeting (preparation). 5. Negotiations are always win-lose - a vast majority can be win-win. 6. The only negotiations are formal or explicit negotiations - far more negotiations take place informally every day. 7. Good negotiators are tough, intimidating, and try to get everything they can - sometimes true (in some one-shot competitive negotiations), but much more often inappropriate and ineffective. Good negotiators are not in it for their egos - they focus on results. Three crucial elements in every negotiation (Cohen, p.19 + more): 1. Information -The life blood in negotiation -The more you know about the other side, t