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Try Skills-Based Strategies First

Posted By PON Staff On October 19, 2012 @ 2:40 pm In Negotiation Skills | No Comments

Before launching a workaround [1], run through this list of skills-based strategies adopted from Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation [2] by William Ury [3] (Bantam, 1993). Only attempt a workaround if you’ve tried them all without success:

1. Actively listen.

  • If you can’t get your counterpart to acknowledge your position, model good negotiating behavior. Acknowledge his point of view by asking open-ended questions. Strive to empathize with both the substance of the message and his underlying emotions.

2. Instead of reacting, “go to the balcony.”

  • When faced with an intransigent negotiating partner, imagine that you’re a spectator watching the interaction. How would you describe what you see in neutral terms.

3. Reframe the situation.

  • After achieving a more neutral perspective, reframe the difficult behavior in ways that appeal to joint interests, concerns, or needs. By incorporating the other side’s point of view, you’ll open up opportunities for creative  solutions.

4. Build a “golden bridge.”

  • Look for ways to give a potential spoiler an attractive choice or, at the very least, one that allows him to save face.
Learn how to negotiate like a diplomat, think on your feet like an improv performer, and master job offer negotiation like a professional athlete when you download a FREE copy of Improve Your Negotiation Skills: Negotiation Training from the Pros [4].

Related Article: A Value Creation Checklist: Five Helpful Tips [5]

Article printed from Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School: http://www.pon.harvard.edu

URL to article: http://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/negotiation-skills-daily/try-skills-based-strategies-first/

URLs in this post:

[1] workaround: http://pon.harvard.edu/daily/business-negotiations/brink-back-your-deal-from-the-brink-weigh-the-benefits-of-a-concession/

[2] Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation: http://pon.harvard.edu/shop/getting-past-nonegotiating-in-difficult-situations/

[3] William Ury: http://pon.harvard.edu/faculty/william-ury/

[4] download a FREE copy of Improve Your Negotiation Skills: Negotiation Training from the Pros: http://www.pon.harvard.edu/freemium/improve-your-negotiation-skills-negotiation-training-from-the-pros/

[5] A Value Creation Checklist: Five Helpful Tips: http://pon.harvard.edu/daily/negotiation-skills-daily/a-value-creation-checklist-five-helpful-tips/

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