HOW TO Negotiate Effectively

Negotiation can be described as the act of conferring in order to reach an agreement. As such, It is an essential requirement of organisational life, an important activity for all Administrative Managers and not something to worry about! Negotiations may involve securing a discount from a supplier, agreeing key aspects of service delivery with a customer, agreeing reasonable workloads with administrative team members or resolving conflict between administrative staff or between the administrative function and 'customers' within the organisation.Effective negotiation Is an important skill for all members of an organisation. It requires situational awareness, empathy, astute judgment, the ability to create effective social networks, excellent communications skills and just a little bit of planning. It Is therefore very much akin to assertiveness, where aggressive behaviour (at the one end of the spectrum) or passiveness (at the other) is probably best avoided.There are three distinct stages In a negotiation situation: pre-negotiation, during the negotiation and post-negotiation.Pre-NegotiationLike many managerial activities, prior preparation is a key requirement of successful negotiation as it is important to determine the objectives. For important negotiations, take time to think what the best possible outcomes might be, what outcomes would be acceptable (which will probably require an element of compromise) and what outcomes would be unacceptable (perhaps because they would be detrimental to the personal position of the individual manager or the broader administrative function).In your preparation, It Is also helpful to consider the position of other parties involved in the situation. In particular, what will their objectives be? What will be their likely stance? How flexible and willing to compromise are they likely to be? Essentially, what will be their 'bottom line'? Remember, it may be that both parties in a negotiation actually want very similar outcomes! McRae (1 998) feels that effective negotiation starts with recognising your personal style of negotiating, along with that of the opposing party. This facilitates subsequently adjusting your approach to harmonise with that of the other party, rather than clashing through a like-for-like approach.Sometimes there will be highly emotive issues affecting the negotiation and so it will be necessary to take these into account Furthermore, it is useful to attempt to consider all factors that might affect the situation. This not only helps prevent you being taken by surprise by an opposing party, but might also yield creative solutions to the situation. It Is then important to identify the arguments that will support your case and conversely, the counter arguments the other party might raise.During the NegotiationThe objective of the negotiation must be to achieve a satisfactory outcome for all parties - a win-win situation Is likely to deliver genuine and sustainable business benefits to all parties. It is important not to be 'macho' and attempt to batter the opposition into submission. In addition, histrionics, double bluffing, red herrings, and so on, are usually considered to be poor practice (although be alert to the other party adopting such tactics). …