NEGOTIATION SKILLS

DEFINITION OF NEGOTIATION

Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties intended to reach a beneficial outcome. This beneficial
outcome can be for all of the parties involved, or just for one or some of them

Bargaining (give and take) process between two or more parties (each with its own aims, needs, and viewpoints) seeking
to discover a common ground and reach an agreement to settle a matter of mutual concern or resolve a conflict.
.

It is aimed to resolve points of difference, to gain advantage for an individual or collective, or to craft outcomes to satisfy
various interests. It is often conducted by putting forward a position and making small concessions to achieve an
agreement. The degree to which the negotiating parties trust each other to implement the negotiated solution is a major
factor in determining whether negotiations are success. If there is no cooperation, the negotiation will fail.

FACTORS THAT CAN INFLUENCE NEGOTIATION

1.Authority:
The first key factor affecting any negotiation is authority. Negotiation may start with deliberation but to be effective,
it has to end up in a conclusion or settlement. For this, both the parties should have the power or authority to
conclude the deal.

If one party believes that the other party does not have the requisite authority to make a commitment or at least
mediate and carry the process forward, he or she may not be keen to come to the negotiating table.

If the parties derive their authority from a higher authority, they should know to what extent they can stretch.
Committing beyond the extent of authority they are vested with may result in negating the negotiation.In real-life
situations, we do come across instances where due to improper understanding, one party commits certain
concessions or facilities which the higher authority does not approve and honour. Lack of authority or ability to
stand by the settlements arrived at undermines the effectiveness of negotiation.

2. Credibility:
Trust and mutual confidence are very relevant in any process of negotiation. People who are known to be honest,
sincere, steady and reliable when they enter the process of negotiation.

The question in the mind of a group when the other person speaks is can we trust this person’s perspectives,
opinions and statements? For negotiations to proceed smoothly, the answer to this question should be
positive.Credibility comes from the person’s knowledge, expertise, track record and relationships. It is essential that
both the parties have in their teams those people who are perceived as being credible.

3. Information:
Negotiation often proceeds on the basis of facts, figures, past data, future trends and outlook, studies, empirical data
and calculations. Adequate and reliable information about the various issues involved is essential for ensuring the
success of a negotiation exercise.
Before coming to the negotiating table, each party should make conscious efforts to gather as much information as
possible on all the issues that will be raised during negotiations. Effective negotiation often involves hard bargaining
and well-informed teams enjoy better bargaining power.

4. Time:
The time frame within which the negotiation should be completed is another important factor affecting the process
of negotiation. One of the parties may have a certain urgency as a result of which they may be in a hurry to conclude
the negotiation. It is due to time constraints that negotiations cannot go on endlessly and both the parties should
agree on a time frame within which the process has to be completed. At the same time, the very process of
negotiation is such that the other party cannot be hurried too much. Both the parties need to have adequate patience.
Putting the other party under undue pressure is certainly not desirable.

5. Emotional control:
Human beings are not just rational, they are also emotional. Every person has his or her qualities of the head and
heart. It is true that in business situations, people take decisions based on thinking and reasoning and after a careful
evaluation of choices before them.

Yet, if we scratch the surface, we do find emotions at play. Good negotiators are aware of the play of emotions and
are responsive to them. Apart from assessing the emotional state of the people in the other party, the negotiator
should himself display the appropriate emotional state. Sometimes, it would be appropriate to come on strong with
forceful points.

6. Communication Skills:
As we have already noted, negotiation is an intense process involving exchange of messages. These messages are
not necessarily bits and pieces of information. The negotiator needs to state, articulate, explain, reason out, appeal,
concede, persuade, persevere and even remain silent depending upon the situation. Good negotiators use silence
effectively. They know when to remain silent. Effective negotiation calls for not only saying the right thing at the
right time, but also leaving unsaid what need not be said. A good negotiator needs to have a good command over
language.

In other situations where the relationship between the negotiating teams is not too formal, relevant humor and lighter
moments may help in building rapport and easing tension.

Besides using the right words and tone, effective negotiators supplement their arguments with stories, metaphors and
analogies to make their positions come alive. Parties concerned choose people who have good interpersonal skills as
members of the negotiating teams.

SKILLS REQUIRED TO NEGOTIATE

 React sensibly- A good negotiator must react sensibly. He should never lose his temper or over react. If you are
unhappy with the deal, show your displeasure. Don’t keep things to yourself or assume that the others will
understand it on their own. One has to voice his opinions. Make the other person realize that you are not
satisfied with the deal and it must be revised. Show your unhappiness to others. For eg., If your boss assigns
you a project you are not very comfortable with, show your displeasure to your boss in a polite way and ask for
something else. But make sure you are not rude; otherwise your job might be at risk.
 Patience - One needs to be patient enough for a good negotiation. It is not always that the other person will
accept your suggestions in the first attempt itself. You need to convince him and it needs patience. Never be in a
hurry to close the deal.
 Confident - One needs to be confident enough for an effective negotiation. You might need something but
never show your desperation to anyone. They will take undue advantage of your helplessness. Take care of your
facial expressions. Never be nervous in front of the second party. Don’t start sweating.
 Be dignified - One should maintain the decorum of the place and should not stoop to any level for getting the
best deal. Present your ideas in a dignified way. Remember it is just a discussion, not a battle field. Avoid
shouting or using derogatory statements against anyone. If you are not satisfied with the deal, its better to quit
rather than fighting and using abusive languages.
 Be very clear in your communication - Stay firm on your quotes and do not change statements quite often.
Don’t play with words or try to confuse others. One needs to be straightforward from the very beginning.
 Be reasonable - Don’t quote anything just for the sake of it. Be reasonable. Don’t quote imaginary or unusually
high figures. Don’t ask for anything you yourself know is not possible. It will just be wastage of time and no
one would benefit out of it.
 Take good care of your posture as well as your body movements. Look confident. While speaking, don’t
look around or play with things. It’s just a discussion, no one will kill you if you are not able to close the deal.
Don’t stammer in between or start sweating in front of others. The second party will take undue advantage if
they find you nervous. Take care of your dressing as well. Don’t wear anything which is too casual. If you dress
casually people will not take you seriously.
 Be focused. One should be very specific what he wants. First ask yourself what is the purpose of this
negotiation? What do you actually want? What is the affordable price for you? Be firm and stick to it. Be very
specific and clear.
 Never keep things to yourself and crib later. Don’t assume that the other person can read your mind on his
own. One needs to ask for what he wants. A mother will not feed her child unless and until he cries. Speak your
heart out. If you are not satisfied with the deal, show your displeasure to others. Express them that you are not
very happy with the price and it needs to be revised.
 Don’t be in a hurry to close the deal. Take your time to discuss things among yourselves. Make sure you are
deciding something which would be a win win situation for all. Never drag any discussion and make the
conversation too long. Too much of pleading and persuasion result in a big zero and no conclusion can be
drawn out of it.
 Know where to compromise. An individual has to compromise sometimes to come to an output. If you feel
that if you accept some terms and conditions, things would be better and it would not harm you much, go ahead.
Everyone needs to compromise sometimes or the other. Even in marriages, one partner needs to negotiate with
the other for better understanding.

NEGOTIATION PROCESS
The process of negotiation includes the following stages:

1. Preparation
2. proposal
3. Discussion
4. Bargaining
5. Agreement
6. Implementation
 1. Preparation

Before any negotiation takes place, a decision needs to be taken as to when and where a meeting will take place to
discuss the problem and who will attend. Setting a limited time-scale can also be helpful to prevent the
disagreement continuing.This stage involves ensuring all the pertinent facts of the situation are known in order to
clarify your own position. In the work example above, this would include knowing the ‘rules’ of your organisation,
to whom help is given, when help is not felt appropriate and the grounds for such refusals. Your organisation may
well have policies to which you can refer in preparation for the negotiation.
Undertaking preparation will help to avoid further conflict and unnecessarily wasting time during the meeting.

3. Making proposals
A proposal is any form of statement that makes a suggestion about how to proceed during the negotiation, or which
indicates a possible solution to the issue. A proposal is a tentative suggestion that builds on a signal sent or one
received. It is not a final solution (that is the role of bargaining).
To make an effective proposal, main rules should be considered:
 the proposal should be conditional;
 the proposal should be presented unadorned and without explanation; and
 on completing the proposal, the proposing party should go silent.

2. Discussion
During this stage, individuals or members of each side put forward the case as they see it, i.e. their understanding of
the situation. Key skills during this stage include questioning, listening and clarifying.
Sometimes it is helpful to take notes during the discussion stage to record all points put forward in case there is need
for further clarification. It is extremely important to listen, as when disagreement takes place it is easy to make the
mistake of saying too much and listening too little. Each side should have an equal opportunity to present their case.
4. Bargaining
A proposal is not a bargain – a proposal is a tentative solution. A bargain, by contrast, is a specific conclusion; it is
also always a specific condition attached to a specific offer. A bargain in a negotiation is analogous to what sales
people call a “close”. When a negotiator says “yes” to a bargain, the negotiation process is more or less over – all
that remains is to write up what has been agreed (draw up the contract).
This stage is for the poor, as the bargaining process can result in one or other of the negotiating parties stepping back
on important poverty reduction issues. Often these are issues such as questions of price and service coverage, issues
that the private sector will often try to use as bargaining chips. Thus it is important that the poor have a
representative voice during the bargaining stage and that this voice is heard and considered.

5. Agreement

Agreement can be achieved once understanding of both sides’ viewpoints and interests have been considered. It is
essential to for everybody involved to keep an open mind in order to achieve an acceptable solution. Any agreement
needs to be made perfectly clear so that both sides know what has been decided.

6. Implementation

From the agreement, a course of action has to be implemented to carry through the decision and observe results.
Strategies To, Improve Oral Presentation, Speaking And Listening Skills
 Oral Presentation skills

 Do homework-Nobody can give a good presentation without putting in some serious time preparing
remarks. Many gifted speakers look as if they're just talking off the cuff, saying whatever comes to
mind. But, in truth, they've spent considerable time figuring out what they're going to say. You should,
too.

 Play the parts- Good presentations are structured in sections. Many presentations need only two or
three main points. Organizing your points into main parts and telling audience what these parts are–
both before and as you go through your presentation–can be the difference between a winning
presentation and a loser.

 Look presentable- No need to wear a suit, but it's hard for people to take a presentation seriously when
you look like someone who just rolled out of bed.

 Interact; don't read. Nobody enjoys seeing a speaker burying his or her face in a script, reading stiffly
from a piece of paper. Try to talk from notes, or, if you use a written-out text, try to look down at it
only occasionally. It's less important that you capture the text word for word than that you present the
main ideas in a natural and relaxed way.

 Take it slow- The single biggest mistake inexperienced speakers make is going too fast. Remember
that your audience is hearing the material for the first time and isn't nearly as familiar with the topic as
you are.

 Extra Pointer. If you find yourself running out of time, either drop or briefly summarize any leftover
material. If your presentation includes a discussion period, gesture at the points you haven't fully
covered and suggest them as things that could be discussed later.

SPEAKING SKILLS

 Make reading a regular activity – Try to read daily and make sure you read varieties of stuff. From
English books, magazines, to newspapers, and novels, you can get your hands on every item that
attracts you.

 Using minimal responses- Language learners who lack confidence in their ability to participate
successfully in oral interaction often listen in silence while others do the talking. One way to
encourage such learners to begin to participate is to help them build up a stock of minimal
responses that they can use in different types of exchanges. Such responses can be especially
useful for beginners.
  Practice, Practice, Practice- There is no replacement for getting out there and doing it. Practice
public speaking as much as you can. Present in front of family, friends – anyone who will listen.
To fine-tune your skills, practice in front of a mirror. This will help you see what you look and
sound like, and will make you more comfortable once you get on stage. The more you rehearse
for yourself, the more comfortable you will be when it comes time to get on stage. If you do it
enough, the words will come out naturally; it becomes muscle memory. This is especially
important if you experience anxiety or stage fright. By practicing over and over again, your
presentation will be smooth and flow naturally even if you freeze up a bit.

 Listen to a Professional’s Opinion- Public speaking is part art, part science. There are many
proven strategies that you can work on to improve your skills, and different training methods and
tactics you can apply. Make sure to talk with experts and experienced presenters who can share
their knowledge on the finer points of public speaking.

 Watch Others- Watching expert public speakers on YouTube and in person will help you paint a
picture of what proper public speaking looks like. By viewing others, you will be able to
internalize it yourself. This will help teach you the proper physical gestures, tones, and
mechanisms that are part of great public speaking.

LISTENING SKILLS

1. Slow your listening down. Take a minute to breathe and think about listening and to be aware and present. Listen
from your head to your toes. Listen as if what you are hearing could change your life.
Factoid: We speak an average of 120 words per minute, but listen four times faster. Your mind fills the gap by
thinking of other things and wandering off. Stay focused. Slow down your listening and listen more than you talk.
2. Pay attention. Watch out for shiny objects!
Stay focused. Don’t get distracted, but rather offer a statement of observation. For example: say, “It sounds like
you’re angry” (or sad/upset/frustrated, etc.). Listen and watch for the tone of voice, body language, and facial
expressions of the person you’re talking to.
3. Get clarification. Listen first, then, ask questions. Find a way to understand their story – their facts, their
feelings, and their perceptions.
Say, “Tell me more,” or clarify by saying, “help me understand,” or “do you mean to say that…?”
If you still don’t understand, ask again in a different way. Sometimes you may need to ask for different words.
4. Validate the speaker. Show some compassion for how they are feeling.
Say things like: “It sounds like you are feeling left out,” or, “It sounds like you are feeling tired and don’t want to
go.”
5. Paraphrase. Repeat in your own words what was said to make sure you understand. Try this paraphrasing
technique: “What I hear you saying is…” or “So you are saying that…” And then check for understanding. Say, “Is
that right?”After listening carefully, respond genuinely. Don’t fake it. An insincere response is worse than no
response. Give non-verbal communication. Use eye contact and head nods to show your concern and interest. And,
here’s a tip: a response that demonstrates you really weren’t listening is not a good response.
A simple change in the way we listen will change the way we understand and how we respond. Active listening will
increase the odds of success at understanding what the real issue is. This may take some practice, but you will get
better at it, and it may even transform a relationship or two.