Negotiation Skills

We moved on from interpersonal communication to a new topic which is negotiation skills. I used to think that negotiating meant different parties compromising in order to reach an agreement. However, the role-play negotiations we did in class made me realise that what we are actually trying to achieve is a win-win situation where all the parties get exactly what they want without having to compromise. Although this is not always easy, as it was mentioned in 'Leading at The Edge', we should never lose sight of the overall aim. In this case, finding a solution that fits everyone's needs.

In the first role-play involving two oranges, I was under the illusion that the perfect answer lay in dividing the oranges equally, meaning one for each person. However, that would have been a partial win-win where the deal is acceptable but not exactly what the two of us had both hoped for. It came as a surprise when someone (I think it was Kristi) mentioned the idea about separating the peels and the juice. The role-play said there were two oranges and two people which made me completely blind to the fact that these two people had different reasons for wanting the oranges. I was unable to consider this orange problem from a different perspective. The lesson here is that in order to find the best solution you always have to consider the needs of who you are trying to negotiate with. This became the key to solving the next role-play problem, the selling and buying of snake eggs. One organisation wanted the egg yolk and the other wanted the egg white so the answer was clear, but it took some time until we all understood what each of us wanted.

When we negotiate in real life circumstances, the chances are that solutions do not appear as clearly as they do in role-plays. Do win-win situations actually exist? I think sometimes they do but in many cases compromises have to be made. What we must not forget is even though compromising is important, the main goal is for everyone to get their wish. So what do we do? We start off by gathering as much information as possible about the others' needs. The way to succeed in a negotiation is through knowing exactly what everybody wants. Like with the oranges and the eggs, there may be a perfect solution if the people involved know enough to determine the little details that count and make a difference.