Improvement of negotiation skills

Negotiation skills are not only important in the business sector, they are also important in our social life, perhaps to decide a time to meet, or where to go on a rainy day, etc. It is generally considered as a commitment to resolve an argument or problem to benefit ourselves as much as possible.

Be as creative as possible

Brainstorming, listening to outlandish proposals, and opening yourself up to unforeseen possibilities make negotiation skills more effective. If we were to respond with new ideas and do the unexpected, this would open the door to much greater gains than when we behave in predictable ways. Creativity can make almost everyone look good.

To be aware

Awareness of the difference between positions and interests is one of the most important negotiation skills. Great negotiators are people who can figure out why they want something, and why the other party wants the result, that’s what looking at interest means. These interests are what lasting deals are made of.

always be fair

If the party you are negotiating with feels the process is fair, they are more likely to actually commit. They are also less likely to walk away from the negotiations or the agreement reached. To ensure fairness, both teams are sometimes helped when there is a neutral outside authority or mediator.

actively listen

One of the bad negotiation skills is spending all your listening time planning how to get back at the other party. This means that when they finally stop talking, you haven’t heard them. It is a good negotiation skill to focus on what others are saying, both in their words and their underlying meaning, because this will help you understand the interests on which the agreement can be based.

BATNA

BATNA stands for Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement and simply means that if you can make things better on your own, you don’t need to negotiate. However, BATNA is not your bottom line and is only a measure of the relative value of negotiating a particular issue with a particular party, or whether you can come up with a better alternative.

Commitment

Never make a commitment unless you can keep it: This is one of the most underrated negotiating skills, but it is an important one. You should be aware that compromise is not likely if one party feels that the process has not been fair.