| A lot of new project team members have not | | | | be a negotiator and don't want to take on the |
| received training in how to negotiate. This seems | | | | role. Even with training and experience, negotiating |
| especially true for young people. Moreover, a lot | | | | is simply not a skill for some people. Organizations |
| of people find negotiating to be a difficult exercise, | | | | should accept this fact and find those staff |
| similar to public speaking. Much of the stress in the | | | | members for whom negotiating comes more |
| process is due to the fact that not a lot of | | | | easily. For very important and complex |
| negotiating is done in the western business world. | | | | negotiations, organizations should consider hiring |
| Negotiating that is performed for an organization | | | | professional negotiators when necessary. Although |
| tends to be the responsibility of more | | | | this can be a costly endeavor, the results of a |
| experienced project managers. As usual, repetition | | | | bad negotiation session are often far higher. |
| can teach people to do anything better. | | | | An effective approach can be to simply have |
| Experienced negotiators know how to read the | | | | junior staff participate in negotiation sessions. |
| situation, they know what their position is and | | | | They can act as secretaries or silent partners. A |
| they can often estimate the position of their rival. | | | | lot of methods can be used by an organization to |
| While there is little to replace experience, | | | | involve more staff in negotiating sessions. Perhaps |
| companies should try to improve their organization | | | | installing hidden cameras in the meeting room can |
| skill set by enhancing the negotiating abilities of | | | | be arranged. |
| more staff. | | | | No discussion of negotiating is complete without a |
| Negotiation training can be a very useful process | | | | review of ethics. Certain approaches, such as |
| for employees. Often specialized courses can be | | | | secretly recording a session may be unethical, or |
| found that provide education on topics ranging | | | | even illegal. Contract law is still fairly imprecise and |
| from adversarial negotiating to contract law and | | | | is constantly changing. Large deals will often |
| more. A lot of emotions can be involved in a | | | | require review by legal professionals. Positions |
| negotiation session so courses teach how to | | | | stated, even only in conversation, might be legally |
| recognize and react to the situation. Of particular | | | | binding depending on the situation. |
| use are those courses which offer practice | | | | When the negotiations are completed, |
| scenarios in which students can try out different | | | | organizations should have their staff prepare a |
| techniques. Useful structured courses can be quite | | | | report describing the details of the sessions. This |
| expensive and difficult to find, but they can | | | | information can be useful for future negotiators |
| improve staff ability rapidly. | | | | and for the project documentation file. Too often |
| Additional knowledge can be gained by reading | | | | this kind of knowledge is lost or gathered late in |
| various books on negotiating. The Art of the Deal, | | | | the process resulting in significant gaps. Depending |
| by Donald Trump, has been very popular for | | | | on the results of the project, this information can |
| more than 20 years. While readers may not | | | | be of great use to future projects. |
| become as effective as that author, there are | | | | Nearly everyone will negotiate for something |
| many points that will help in future negotiations. | | | | significant in the future. If they can recognize their |
| These books also allow readers to reminisce | | | | abilities, they can boost their skills as necessary. |
| about their past negotiations to imagine how | | | | Practice sessions, learning from others and formal |
| various alternate options may have been useful. | | | | courses can help to improve abilities. Not |
| The real trick, of course, is to gain abilities that | | | | everyone will be as successful as Donald Trump |
| can be applied later. | | | | but basic negotiation improvements can pay |
| Some staff may find that they are not ready to | | | | dividends to any organization. |