The Goal Paper
This course has been very insightful on the aspect of negotiation. From this course, I learned the do’s and don’ts when it comes to negotiation.
To begin with, I learned that negotiation is both a science and an art. One needs to be aware that other persons across table are as prepared, smart, unpredictable and determined as him or her. The negotiations may take any directions. As such, it is important for one to be flexible in his or her approach to negotiation. Flexibility ensures that amicable results which are favorable for every person are achieved. I intend to use the skills I have learned on the art of negotiation in my day-to-day activities, for instance, when I am buying something like a car or selling my merchandize.
Additionally, I learned that culture influences many aspects of the negotiation process. One crucial knowledge I acquired about culture is that most of can be easily missed. For instance, it may influence the goal of this process. Some negotiators may be interested in forging strong relationships while others are focused on having a signed deal. Also, culture influences the use of verbal and nonverbal cues in the negotiation process. For instance, some societies consider staring as unacceptable while other expects one to maintain eye contact during the entire discussion process. Also, there are some cultures where personal space must be respected at all. This means that some people from be angered when a fellow negotiator touch them. Going forward, I will always endeavor to know as much as possible about the people I intend to engage in with on any business deal. The research will guide my conduct during the negotiation process, for instance, when it comes to the use nonverbal cues.
At the same time, the course introduced me to the various strategies people approach conflicts. Some of the strategies only result in negative outcomes. For instance, competing strategy approaches disagreements or negotiation as a game where one party wins while they are other losses. Also, the other strategy entails one avoiding to actively participate in addressing the conflict he or she is a part of. However, the course made me realize that the best strategy for addressing disagreements is accommodating. This strategy entails each party to a conflict winning. When accommodating is adopted in solving disagreement, all the parties not only win but also the process result in all the entities forging a new relationship that they can tap into going forward. Going forward, I am looking forward to putting the interests of others into consideration when I am doing business or negotiating with other persons. From the classes on approaches to negotiations, I learned that one’s perspective play a crucial role in ensuring the strategy that one adopts and whether or not he or she will attain any meaningful results.
Most importantly, I was unaware that the diction one uses may be a cause of conflict. There are certain words that one may use and which may scare away the people one is negotiating with. Words such as “must” and “never” should not be used during negotiation. Additionally, there are phrases that may not be taken lightly since they are accusatory or judgmental. Also, these words may suggest that a person has some prejudice or misconception about the person or entities one is negotiating with.
I found the issue of negotiation “sins” very interesting. Although I aware of some of these “sins” I had not realized their ramifications in the context of negotiation. Some of these sins include leaving money on the table, settling for too low, walking away from the table, and settling for terms worse than your alternative. These outcomes occur as a result of the ineptness of a negotiator. For instance, a skilled negotiator should know about all the alternatives to the deals he or she is recommending. Going forward, I am looking for doing everything possible to ensure that I get the best deal in the negotiating possible by being skillful, factoring in the interests of others, and being accommodating of individuals who hold opinions that are contradictory to mine.