Negotiation Skills

Adapted from “Telling Time in Different Cultures,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Despite the bloody conflicts in the Middle East, people of goodwill from both Arab and Western nations earnestly seek to collaborate in diplomatic and business transactions. An article by Ilai Alon of Tel Aviv University and Jeanne Brett of Northwestern, however, cautions that … Read The Right Time to Negotiate

PON affiliated professor Brian Mandell was interviewed for an article on the Harvard Kennedy School homepage today discussing his intersession course, Advanced Workshop in Multiparty Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. Click here to read the full article.

“The class — of which the objective is to develop the next generation of master negotiators — is structured so … Read Prof Mandell Featured on Kennedy School Website

PON Professor James Sebenius answers these critical questions during an interview before last month’s Executive Education classes:

Why is it so important for managers and business people to become skilled negotiators?

Why is preparation and set up so important in negotiations?

Why do you enjoy teaching students in Executive Education courses?

To watch more PON Videos, click here.

To watch … Read Video of Professor Sebenius

Associated Press

The NFL is negotiating with the players’ union to accept a new labor agreement that would include an 18-game season in 2011. The NFL’s lead negotiator said talks are focused on the extended season, economics, the rookie salary system and free-agency rules. With the current agreement expiring in March, both sides acknowledge their responsibility … Read Negotiating Next Year’s Football Season

Michael Wheeler (MBA Class of 1952 Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School)

Studies show that our hunches about when people are being honest aren’t much better than a coin toss. In this article, Michael Wheeler reveals six strategies for distinguishing lies from truth in a negotiation.

Read More … Read Is That Really Your Best Offer?

Adapted from “Will Your Emotions Get the Upper Hand?” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Angry individuals approach situations with confidence, a sense of control, and negative thoughts about others. In negotiation, these tendencies can trigger overconfidence, unrealistic optimism, and aggression, yet they buffer decision makers from indecision, risk aversion, and overanalysis, write professors Jennifer … Read The Upside of Anger

Adapted from “Justifying Selfishness,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

In a study of selfishness in negotiation, Fei Song of York University and C. Bram Cadsby and Tristan Morris of the University of Guelph had participants play the “dictator game,” adapted from the experimental economics literature. In this game, Party A is given a sum of … Read An Excuse for Selfishness

Adapted from “Build the Right Connection,” by Jeswald Salacuse (professor, Tufts University), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

To hold the attention of your counterparts, you need to connect with them as early as possible in the negotiation. A human connection with the other side not only distinguishes you from your competitors and other parties they … Read Always Connect

Jeswald W. Salacuse (Henry J. Baker Professor of Law; former Dean, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; author of The Global Negotiator and Seven Secrets for Negotiating with Government)

The way you characterize or frame a situation can influence people’s thinking in a negotiation. Setting the terms can help, or hinder, your side. In … Learn More About This Program

Adapted from “Second Thoughts,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

“Of all sad words of tongue or pen,” wrote the poet John Greenleaf Whittier, “the saddest are these: ‘It might have been.'” Many negotiators would second that sentiment. Regret can be a powerful emotion when a deal slips through our fingers or when we kick ourselves … Read The Regretful Negotiator