Simple Negotiation Techniques

My dream job post-graduation is to become a tour manager. I love the idea of working with live music and traveling the world. While the job would have perks, it would also come with its share of challenges, including negotiating everything from artist riders to salaries to what time the buses have to leave the venue. Because I have no experience in negotiating, the idea of doing so on a daily basis can be pretty daunting. Fortunately, there are several resources online that can help a novice negotiator such as myself. I decided to watch videos about negotiating techniques to prepare for future negotiations. Three videos I found extremely helpful are Margaret Neale: Negotiation:Getting What You Want, William Ury:The walk from “no” to “yes,” and Negotiation in the Workplace.

The first video, Margaret Neale: Negotiation: Getting What You Want, features Margaret Neale, a management professor at Stanford University, who discusses her four-step process of negotiation. She also talks about how men and women often differ in negotiation techniques. She begins the video with an example of a job offer, and how neglecting to negotiate your salary could cause you to earn significantly less money over your lifetime. She then discusses the four steps of negotiating: prepare, assess, ask, and package. One of the most important things is to know the alternatives of each party. Neale points out that the person with the strongest alternative will leave the agreement with the best deal. I feel that I can use the knowledge gained from the video to practice negotiating in everyday situations and how to structure the issues so that every party wins.

William Ury, co-author of the book “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In,” is the speaker in the second video, William Ury: The walk from “no” to“yes.” During a Ted Talks conference, Ury spoke about his negotiating experience, which included working with various countries during times of war. I, of course, will not have to worry about negotiations that intense while working as a tour manager, but many of Ury’s ideas will be useful. One of the most helpful examples he gives is how conflict is resolved within a tribe in South Africa. First, the two conflicting parties sit with other members of the tribe and discuss ways to solve the problem. If a solution is not found and hostilities rise, the opposing member is briefly sent to a different group to calm down. The use of taking a break from a hostile situation can be used in all negotiations so that each party can calmly discuss the issues.

The final video I recommend is Negotiation in the Workplace with Laurie Weingart, professor of organizational behavior and theory at Carnegie Mellon University. The video is an interview with Weingart in which she discusses general negotiation techniques and how they can be applied on a day-to-day basis in the workplace. An important lesson Weingart teaches is the idea of mutual benefit. This leads to both parties being satisfied with the agreement and gaining something from the deal. She says negotiation is “not about compromising; it’s about cooperating” (Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business, 2008). Cooperation is vital in every negotiation because each party can begin to understand how to create a deal that will be best for the organization.

Resources:

Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business. (2008, August 19). Negotiation in the Workplace.

Retrieved on April 18, 2013, from http://youtu.be/ahAyRI1Fcdg

Stanford Graduate School of Business. (2013, March 13). Margaret Neale: Negotiation: Getting

What You Want. Retrieved on April 18, 2013, from http://youtu.be/MXFpOWDAhvM

Ted Talks Director. (2010, December 1). William Ury: The walk from “no” to “yes.” Retrieved

on April 18, 2013, from http://youtu.be/Hc6yi_FtoNo