When in negotiations, to what 'authority' do you succumb? When in negotiations, information is presented to enhance or demur the perception of authority. At times, we are told information being conveyed came from some form of authority. Thus, the projection of that information is supposed to possess validity and impress us. When such information is presented to you, dressed in the trappings of authority, if the information doesn't appear to be valid, or you have a 'gut' feeling that it doesn't reside well with you, question its validity.

It appears that Michael Jackson, bless his soul, relied upon an authority to address his concerns of well being. In the end, it appears that authority misguided him.

Another problem that occurs with information, coming from the quarters of authority, is the fact that some people will view it as being suspect, when in reality, it's valid. As an example, had Michael Jackson not passed away, but instead was rushed to the hospital and the public was told he was hospitalized due to some undisclosed illness, or whatever the reason his 'handlers' felt would serve Michael's interest, some people would have sought something more sinister behind the message. They would have questioned the motives of those presenting the information and possibly thought it was a publicity stunt to highlight his pending tour. They might have even thought it was some form of disguise to solicit empathy for Michael. Those possessing such thoughts might have justified their beliefs based on what they may have considered to be, 'the strange behavior' that Michael displayed in the past.

The point is, when you're negotiations, don't always rely on information to be factual, in the form in which it's presented, and don't be too quick to discount its validity. You should always mentally question, the motives of the other negotiator, what it is that he's attempting to do, and what he seeks as an outcome. By doing so, you'll get insight into how he wishes you to perceive the information being presented and you'll be able to reconcile how you perceive the data against that backdrop.

When negotiations, use all of your senses. Observe the manner by which the other negotiator is presenting. Look for signs through his body language that indicates dissimilarities between his words and body gestures. Pay attention to his pitch and tone when he's speaking. Once you note variations in his speech from that of earlier parts of the conversation, mentally note those differences and follow the lead of his body. The body never lies. It will project the truth much clearer and assuredly than the spoken word. Once you're able to discern fact from fiction at the negotiations table, you'll start winning more negotiations sessions. You'll become a savvy negotiator that will walk away from the negotiations with more of what was on the table... and everything will be right with the world.

The Negotiations Tips Are...

As we negotiate, there are times when we intuitively don't trust what we hear or see. When that occurs, question why you're experiencing such feelings. There will be reasons behind such emotions.
 In order to become a more experienced negotiator, commit to gaining insight into the subtle nuances of body language. There's a hidden world of secret information in the gestures of someone's body maneuvers.
 If you are astute and don't allow your position to be swayed by the misrepresentation of information coming from 'authority', you'll be very well positioned to point the negotiations in an advantageous direction.