Negotiation Skills

Negotiation is a discussion between two parties to find out the solution and for the purpose of reaching a joint agreement about differing needs or opinions. It involves using the art of ‘persuasion’ to get others to understand and agree with your viewpoint. It works best when an individual has a win-win attitude. The key skills that are involved in a successful negotiation are that of good communication skills, sales and marketing skills, good psychological analytical skills, sociology skills, assertiveness and conflict resolution skills. Therefore, negotiations may take place between various kinds of different people such as between a customer and seller, a boss and employee, two business partners, a diplomat or a civil servant and a foreign diplomat, between spouses, between friends and between parents and children.

No two people are exactly same. Therefore, each and every individual thinks and behaves differently in different situations and has different needs, wants, beliefs and aims. It is this basic difference between people that gives rise to disagreement and conflict from time-to-time. Moreover, to mutually co-exist with each other at personal, professional as well as business level, it is important that these conflicts and disagreements should be resolved.

This is because conflicts may lead to argument and resentment which may result in one or all of the involved parties feeling unhappy. Hence, negotiation helps everyone involved to seek a common ground of agreement between the disagreements and also meet their individual objectives. There are a few common basic principles that apply to all types of negotiations and in all situations. Some of the basic principles of negotiation are as follows:

There are always at least ‘two parties’ involved any negotiation process.

In any negotiation, the two parties share at least some common interest, either in the subject matter or in the negotiating context that brings both the parties together in a negotiation.

The initiation of any negotiation always results due to different opinions and objectives of the two parties which hinders the outcome in general.

Negotiation is an art; you can get better and better with it.

If you feel that you don’t have an innate talent for negotiations, don’t be disappointed because these skills can be honed and developed with the proper training and practice.

People who always speak good things may feel that they are good negotiators, but that is not always the case. Negotiation is all about understanding what you want and what the other person wants, and then coming up with a win-win scenario.