A Successful Negotiation

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MTL: The Professional Development Programme
A Successful Negotiation
A SUCCESSFUL
NEGOTIATION
Getting what you want

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Attribution: All images are from sources where a Creative Commons license exists for commercial use. All icons are on subscription
from thenounproject. All clipart is from free sources. The MTL Professional Development Programme is copyright of Manage Train
Learn.
ASuccessful
Negotiation
Introduction: Most negotiations that run into the buffers eventually get back on track.
This is because the forces working for a settlement are usually stronger than those
working for breakdown. In the last phase of negotiations, a new atmosphere should
enter the negotiating room, one of finding joint solutions based on principles and mutual
gain. In this topic, we’ll show you 7 features of the third phase of power negotiations.

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1. BE
FLEXIBLE
The biggest stumbling block to getting out of
stalemated negotiations is the unwillingness of
either side to be flexible. Flexibility can be
demonstrated in big or small ways. You can
change your position without changing your
needs. You can change the package. For example,
if you are negotiating the sale of a property, you
can move the discussion to what's going to
happen to the furniture, the fittings, and the
removal plans. Other changes include changing
the team, changing the venue, and changing the
timescale.
I’ll tell you what we’ll do to reduce the price…
Flickr attribution: /nggalai/13068624125/

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Who Gets the Bigger Slice of Cake?
Most inexperienced negotiators worry about the pressure they are under and how to secure a good deal for their
constituents. This makes the other side seem powerful. To change the power balance, start thinking, "What is the
pressure on them?". When you do this, you will discover that, even if they look relaxed, they also have worries
and concerns. Root these out and exploit them, and you'll achieve a better result for yourself.
Two brothers regularly argued over who
received the largest slice of their favourite
cake at teatime.
"Yours is bigger than mine," complained the
first.
"No, it's not. Yours is bigger than mine,"
complained the second.
To avoid having to arbitrate each time in the
debate, including the impossibility of
measuring exact portions, the boys' mother
hit on a solution based on principles.
"In future," she said, "one of you will cut the
cake and the other will have the first choice."
From then on, there were no more
arguments.

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2. PRINCIPLES
NOT
POSITIONS
A new atmosphere should be allowed to enter
the final phase of power negotiations. You
should now work together to find a basis for
agreement. Act as if the other side wanted to
resolve the problem by using the assumptive
close: "The best way for us to resolve this is
to...". Most people love to be asked for help so
put it back to them. "What do you think we
should do?". Think like shipwrecked sailors.
Instead of squabbling over limited rations, realise
you're in the same situation and work together.
Yes, but we agreed we’d share the cost
Flickr attribution: /tomhilton/16523850974/

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Agree the Principles of a Solution First
The solution you come up with at the end of
negotiations should not be based on
expediency, or the need to settle at any
cost, but on some clear principles to which
you both can subscribe. That is why the
latter part of power negotiations is called
"principled" negotiations to contrast it with
the earlier “positional” stage of power
negotiations.
Once you have agreed on the principles of a deal,
work towards a solution that all sides can accept.. Do
this by:
• finding out how others have resolved similar
problems
• getting an independent, third-party opinion
• using legal guidelines
• agreeing on the basis of an equal amount of
sacrifice and gain on both sides
• basing the agreement on a vote, a ballot or a
referendum by all the constituent parties.

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If You’re Stuck, Use the “Indaba” Technique
1. If you are still at loggerheads
after asking the other side to
think again, you could consider
using the "indaba" technique of
negotiating.
5. A similar technique to
"indaba" is "NBATANA" which
is a mnemonic for "the Next
Best Alternative To A
Negotiated Agreement".
When "nbatana" is called,
everyone expresses what they
will be left with if they can't
all agree. As a result,
everyone gets a better
understanding of the value of
an agreement.
2. The "indaba" technique is used
by the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of
southern Africa to extricate
themselves from a stalemate in
negotiations.
3. Indaba works by allowing each
party to speak personally and
state their "red lines" or
thresholds that they feel they
can't cross. At the same time,
they are also asked to provide
solutions to find common ground
with the other side.
4. The "indaba" technique was used in December
2015 to reach consensus for the first time ever at
the climate change summit in Paris.

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3. EDGE
FORWARD
You should aim to edge forward in the last phase
of power negotiations by looking for areas of
agreement. Here are 5 techniques you can try: 1.
summarize: review where you both are; 2. test:
test the other side without committing yourself:
"Just for argument's sake, what if...?"; 3. benefits
and losses: point out what you both stand to lose
if you can’t agree; 4. save face: help the other
side to sell the deal to their people; 5.
compromise: if you are both genuinely stuck,
consider a straight down-the-middle 50-50 split.
OK, how about trying it free for a few days?
Flickr attribution: /borisbaldinger/15214243058/

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Sail with the Wind
One way to break a deadlock with the other side is to stop confronting them and get alongside them. If you focus
on their needs and explore how they can meet them, you can wait until they start to see things from your point of
view. Then you can take them along your preferred path.
Ed Brodow uses the following expression to sum up his negotiation philosophy: "one hand washes the other". In other
words, if you help the other side to feel satisfied, they will be more inclined to help you feel satisfied too.
This approach requires patience on
your part and a willingness to let
others work it out for themselves.
Some negotiators call this approach
sailing with the wind, or letting the
other side have your way.
"Rarely is it advisable to meet prejudices
and passions head-on. Instead it is best
to conform to them in order to gain time
to combat them. Know how to sail with a
contrary wind and tack until one meets a
wind blowing in the right direction." (De
Felice 1778)

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4. PARTNERS,
NOT
OPPONENTS
When we stop seeing the other side as
opponents, and start seeing them as partners,
we move from win-lose thinking to win-win
thinking. Many costly negotiations get stuck
because of ideological differences between the
sides. They are unable to see themselves as
partners in the enterprise only as enemies. The
Huthwaite organisation found that successful
negotiators spend 38% of the time in a
negotiation discussing common issues. The
entrenched spend only 11%.
Funnily enough, we came to the same conclusion
Flickr attribution: /haddadi/5379944360/

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Behaviour Breeds Behaviour
We copy the behaviour of our partners both at
home and at work.
Why does the wife shout at her husband?
Because he shouts at her!
So, if you want to influence someone's
behaviour, practice the desired behaviour on
them first:
• If you want them to listen to you, listen to
them first.
• If you want them to acknowledge your
point, acknowledge their point first.
• If you want them to understand how you
feel, understand how they feel first.
• If you want them to see your point of
view, see theirs first.
• If you want them to agree with you, agree
with them first.
Because behaviour breeds behaviour.

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5. FIND
CREATIVE
SOLUTIONS
There are no such things as intransigent
problems, only intransigent problem-solvers. Few
issues are so complex that they cannot be solved
by the application of creative solutions. Most
stonewalling negotiators expect stonewalling
back. If you do the opposite of what they expect
- as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat did when he
went to Israel for peace negotiations - you
disarm them by surprise.
Use problem-solving techniques when you’re stuck
Flickr attribution: /anieto2k/8124124586/

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Sadat Went to Israel
There are no such things as intransigent
problems, only intransigent problem-solvers.
Few issues are so complex that they cannot
be solved by the application of creative
solutions.
• Get everyone working on creative
solutions
• Drop former prejudices about what is
and isn't possible
• Think of ideas before evaluating them:
the more ideas, the better
• Maintain a confident attitude that, in
time, you will find a way through
• Take a few risks.
Most stonewalling negotiators expect
stonewalling back. If you do the opposite of
what they expect - as Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat did when he went to Israel for
peace negotiations - you disarm them by
surprise.

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6. DUMB IS
SMART
The competitive nature of conflict that underlies
power negotiations often results in both sides
trying to prove they're more intelligent than each
other. However, there are disadvantages in
appearing too clever. Being smart pre-supposes
that you have to win the argument. Most
successful negotiations are not won on the
arguments alone but on a range of other factors.
Being clever can also stop you asking "dumb"
questions in case you appear stupid. This makes
you vulnerable to deals which must be carefully
checked out.
Drop your ego and ask the stupid-sounding questions
Flickr attribution: /carbonnyc/6415460111/

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Splitting the Camels
A rich Arab merchant died and in his
will left half of his camels to his
eldest son, one third to his middle
son and one eighth to his youngest
son.
When the sons came to count the
camels, there were 23. There was
no way they could split up the
camels according to their father's
will, so they went to a wise woman
for advice.
The wise woman listened to their
plight and then gave them one of
her own camels. She then told them
to divide up the 24 camels
according to their father's will.
This time the sons were able to
divide the camels correctly: the
eldest son received 12, the middle
son 8 and the youngest son 3.
Finding this totalled 23, they took
the one remaining camel and
returned it to the wise woman.

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7. TASK-
ORIENTED
THOUGHTS
Towards the end of negotiations, most people
focus on how well they're doing. "Am I winning?"
"Are we nearly there?" This is like the tennis
player who reaches the last round in a winning
position and already thinks of jumping over the
net as the winner. These thoughts are not just
premature; they distract from the job. To counter
this danger, use the trigger of self-oriented
thinking to direct you back into task-oriented
thinking until the negotiations are over.
Don’t think about victory before the game is over
Flickr attribution: /43555660@N00/8332993235/

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This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn
AFinal
Word
The last phase of power negotiations is often like the last rounds of a boxing match in which two
punch-drunk fighters are slugging it out. Don't let this be you. The last phase is critically important.
You must seek an agreement but you must also be on your guard. Only then can you get a deal
that will satisfy your side and satisfy your opponents.

A Successful Negotiation

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