Negotiation Skills

The ability to negotiate successful outcomes with suppliers, partners and clients is seldom achieved through a pure focus on winning. Modern thinking (and this program) is grounded in the belief that a successful negotiation will have a favourable outcome for both parties, and that the resulting relationship is just as important as the substance.  

This workshop focuses on a win-win style of negotiations called interest-based negotiation and is based on the methods described by leading authors such as Fisher and Ury’s Getting to Yes and Voss’s Never Split The Difference. The workshop also explores how to deal with negotiators that employ “dirty” tactics or otherwise refuse to negotiate in a principled way. 

What makes it relevant is that the majority of the workshop is spent working on actual negotiations that the participants face (past, current and future), with a heavy emphasis on practice and coaching by peers and the facilitator.  

Note that this workshop is primarily focused on dealing with parties that are external to the organization or departments that are dealt with at arm’s length in larger organizations. For workshops more suited to internal negotiation which occurs between internal employees, please see Kwela’s workshops on Conflict ResolutionConflict Resolution for Managers and Influencing Without Authority. 

Results You Can Expect

  • Increased confidence in dealing with challenging negotiations 
  • Negotiated outcomes that are perceived as win-win by all parties 
  • A shift from adversarial to trusting relationships 

Key Focus Areas

  • Assessment of personal biases when approaching negotiation
  • Separating the human side from the substance   of the negotiation
  • Active listening and tactical empathy
  • The power of non-verbal signals 
  • Focusing on interests versus positions 
  • Inventing options for mutual gain 
  • Using objective criteria to determine the outcome
  • When “yes” means “yes” versus something else
  • Dealing with a more powerful party 
  • Dealing with unfair tactics 
  • Knowing when to walk away 

Target Audience

This course is applicable to all individuals that formally negotiate with external parties such as suppliers, partners, clients or departments that are dealt with at arm’s length in larger organizations.

Formats – more

In-house (on-site or virtual)
  • ½-day workshop
  • 1-day workshop