Negotiation and Your Career

Sally Schmall, MSW, SPHR

Academy Coaching

http://AcademyCoaching.com

sallyschmall@academycoaching.com

.

. Negotiations

We negotiate every day

We all have a style of negotiationCompetitive Cooperative

Negotiation styles

Competitive

• A high initial demand• Likelihood of impasse

Cooperative

• Initiates granting concessions

• Vulnerability to exploitation

Both the competitive and cooperative strategies focus on the opposing “positions”Each negotiator attempts to achieve as many concessions from the other as possible.

INTEREST-BASED NEGOTIATION – HARVARD NEGOTIATION PROJECT

• It is a strategy largely based on problem-solving or integration

• The style is hard on the merits, soft on the people

Interest-based negotiation sets out to:

• Separate the people from the problem• Focus on interests, not positions• Generate a variety of possibilities

before deciding what to do• Insist that the result be based on some

objective standard

SEPARATE THE PEOPLE FROM THE PROBLEMPerception

Emotion

Communication

Conversation starters

• “I value our relationship, and hope you know that my goal is to create a solution that doesn’t compromise our working relationship.”

FOCUS ON INTERESTS, NOT POSITIONSHow to identify interests

Conversations starters

• “What do we think we really are trying to achieve?”

• “Who else needs to share this aim for this project to succeed?”

Talking About InterestsGetting someone’s attention

Conversation starters

• “What would it take to ‘bury the hatchet’ enough to be open to a different relationship?”

INVENT OPTIONS FOR MUTUAL GAINBroaden your options

Conversation starters

• “If you had to come up with different solutions what would be your preferred top 3?”

INSIST ON USING OBJECTIVE CRITERIADeciding on the basis of will is costly

Conversation starters

• “How can we work together to identify sources of objective criteria before we discuss options?”– As an example, in negotiating to purchase a

particular car, we would want to look at what that car sells for at other dealerships.

– What do similar cars sell for? – What does the blue book (or red book if

applicable) say the price should be? – What is the previous year’s model selling for?

"YES, but..."

• What if they are more powerful?– Know your BATNA (Best Alternative to

Negotiated Agreement)– The better your BATNA, the greater your

power– Consider the other side's BATNA

Summary

• Redefine “winning”• Seek options and the solution will follow• Learn from doing—practice, practice,

practice