The Elements of Negotiation

ELEMENT 72Typical Skills to Improve

In my extensive experience with over 35,000 participants in numerous negotiation simulations, coupled with my involvement in countless real-life negotiations, I've identified a range of skills that typically need enhancement. These skills, though not ranked in order of importance and varying across negotiators, are areas where I've noticed that many can benefit from improvement.

Key Skills for Negotiation Enhancement

• Questioning: Enhance your negotiation by asking more and better questions.
• Openness: Balance is key; avoid being too reserved or overly transparent.
• Structural approach: Implement a structured framework to avoid wasting time and resources.
• Agenda setting: Work on mutually agreed agendas, serving as a blueprint for both parties.
• Persistence: Continue probing until you receive satisfactory answers.
• Role definition: Clearly define roles when negotiating in a team.
• NegoEconomics: Understand and leverage asymmetric value for mutual gain.
• Creative thinking: Adopt out-of-the-box approaches, introducing varied variables.
• Mandate clarity: Ensure that both parties have the proper authority to negotiate.
• Combative behavior: Recognize and avoid combative tactics in collaborative negotiations.
• Negotiation rules: Agree on the rules of negotiation beforehand.
• Listening: Focus on the underlying value, not just the words.
• Counterpart consideration: Consider the other party's costs, values, risks, and liabilities.
• Team discipline: Respect defined ...