Negotiation Skills Training Courses

With over twenty-five years of proven industry experience, the Negotiations Training Institute of America is the recognized leader in negotiations training, consulting and performance coaching. Through public open enrollment courses and private on-session training sessions, we have helped leading corporations, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies improve their ability to negotiate better outcomes for their constituencies. First-time negotiators as well as those with the greatest competitive drive and amount of first-hand experience and negotiations wisdom can benefit from our time-tested courses. Whether focusing on negotiating a contract with a vendor or jumping in to the often-stressful car buying process to deal with a dealership, our courses provide useful skills, proven techniques and various classroom role plays to help you become more aware of negotiations that you must face on a daily basis.

For more information on our negotiation skills training courses please contact us.

Negotiation Course: How to Capture a Castle

This is the intriguing title of an article in History magazine, which made me think of getting what you want - after all, the people after the castle wanted the castle! Julian Humphrys, the author, lists 10 ways used in the medieval time to capture a castle, all of which mirror various ways we can attempt to get what we want in negotiation. Now we don't use huge armies to get what we want from others; we use other strategies. All the methods listed fall into three groups:

The assertive group involved people being willing to talk. It is certainly the cheapest option when dealing with any situation - sometimes just asking works. If not, then think about what you have the other person might want and then show them how it is worth the trade. Now, these negotiation options work when you have a good bargaining position - you need to have something to trade - and you need backup. In medieval times, this was a big army camped outside the castle wall. These days, I would suggest factual back up. For example, when I was negotiating budget increases, I had all the facts I needed. These weren't just the numbers, but the consequences of not being able to deliver. Remember that having something to trade can mean some of your time and expertise!

Is there ever a reason to use the negotiation tactics of the sneaky group? In a word, yes. I have done this. I needed equipment for the office. I mean need - the desk was taped in places and levelled with paper. The chair was ok as long as you didn't move in it; it had an unfortunate tendency to send you to the floor. You get the idea. I was told there was no money for capital goods. When I looked through the budget, I noted a depreciation line. I checked with finance, and got it in writing that there was money available, and the amount. Armed with that, I went back to my boss. Yes, I went behind her back. Yes, she was annoyed and relations cooled. On the other hand, team morale shot up. Going underground and using surprise worked in the negotiation, but you need to accept there will be a price to pay.

The aggressive approach to negotiation is usually involuntary. We use it when we feel backed into a corner - or are very passionate about the issue. It can also be the office coup d'état, or the hostile takeover. Then as now, this is a last resort because it is the most expensive, and you cannot afford to lose. If you become involuntarily aggressive - push back because you do feel pushed against a wall, or something triggers your passion - let things cool and assess the damage. If you believe you are right, find away to be assertive. This will involve apologising, and it does take planning to get back to the table to talk. If you have tried the hostile takeover and failed, you will need to either walk away or mount another one - consider what happened when Kraft tried to take over Cadbury. Frankly, this isn't an option I would ever consider to get what I want because the price is too high.

So what has changed since the medieval times? Really, very little. We still use strategy - we just use words, facts, and moneyin negotiation instead of armies. Like medieval warriors, we win by choosing the battlefield and weapons needed to get the job done.