Artykuły dot. negocjacji

Eagle’s view on negotiations – the process

Eagle’s view on negotiations – the process This article is a review of key elements in negotiations and therefore will help you to embrace them in their entirety. As a preface I want to clearly state something. The collection of knowledge presented below is what we call a negotiation process. It is a scheme of sorts with the main purpose to assist learning how the negotiation phenomena works. In reality, the elements described in it can be interlinked, appear in different order or may not come up at all. Nevertheless, the negotiation process makes us aware of what awaits us and when to expect certain things. This way we can plan our actions more accurately, keep the situation under better control and look at negotiation from a strategic perspective. Dear Reader, I invite you to learn about the negotiation process!

  1. Preparation is thinking forward into the future. It helps us to realize what we want to achieve, so that we can analyze why we want to achieve it. We ourselves (or in our team) have to decide on what is really the goal and which of our needs it will satisfy. Preparation consists of collecting information about our partner and foreseeing his actions, so that we can swiftly respond to his moves. Preparation is a projection of the future. Thanks to it, we get acquainted with situations which we might encounter in the future so that they are not alien to us. Thanks to this, we feel more comfortable when they occur and can effectively operate.
  2. Relationship Building is getting to know a person. We can get to know a person through history (how he wound up where he is, where he was, what he learnt, what network he built, which decisions he made etc.), presence (how he speaks, gestures, what he laughs about, how he reacts to the environment, how he experiences life, which attitudes and values he represents etc.) or future (what are his aspirations, ambitions, visions plans, how he thinks of the future – with energy and enthusiasm or pessimism).
  3. Information Exchange is uncovering yourself to the other side. When we talk about ourselves (eg. our interest) we invite people to get familiar with us and our situation. Assuming that we talk authentically, we will position the other side in a space of acknowledging and understanding our reality. This requires courage and trust for the other side that their intentions are good (please distinguish intentions from goals – eg. someone’s goal could be to buy as cheap as possible and their good intentions will be shown by offering an open conversation and common search for a way to bring down our costs).
  4. Persuasion is the act of causing people to do or believe in something. The effect has to be beneficial to them, or else we’re dealing with manipulation. When someone is persuasive towards you, the most important thing is to remember your interests and consciously make decisions after considering the new pieces of information.
  5. Concessions is acknowledging the superiority of another need. When concessions are an option in our repertoire of actions, we happily don’t have to worry so much about the mistake of entrenching around our positions. Concessions are natural, because not all interests can be integrated. It is a true skill to make concessions with high style – in the name of relationships, good agreements and a constructive future.
  6. Agreement is the building block of mankind. Where there is agreement, there is also progress because people don’t waste time acting against each other. Agreement is a crucial step, which often marks the beginning of cooperation with a partner. However, don’t push it – sometimes an agreement just won’t be the best way to go. You can always walk away from the table.
The above elements come to make the negotiation process. Having embraced negotiations from a broad perspective, you are ready to immerse in each of the six above elements and reach our for practical knowledge.