When negotiating, don't make room for conflict

Professor Stuart Diamond

Some of the most common mistakes that unskilled negotiators make during negotiations is assuming them as a conflict, getting emotional, and not creating a vision of a better future, Professor Stuart Diamond, one of the world's leading experts on negotiation, noted.
Diamond, author of Getting More: How To Negotiate To Succeed in Work and Life and emeritus professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, is in Dubai for an exclusive two-day workshop on December 9 and 10 and spoke to Khaleej Times on some of the other common mistakes that are made during negotiations.
"Not listening enough to the other party's perceptions to get information on how to persuade them. Not using their standards to hold them to their promises. Not finding unequally valued things to trade. Not making personal connections. Not finding common enemies and common points of interest. And, assuming that affiliations are the same as individual sensibilities," Diamond listed.
Asked how negotiators can ensure a comfortable and focused negotiation, Diamond advised negotiators to engage in small talk. "Be informal. Make small talk on the weather, food, sports, etc. If people are not relaxed, talk about what it would take to get people relaxed. Have a nice comfortable setting," he said.
Speaking about his "Getting More" negotiation model, Diamond noted that it produces four times as much value: twice as many deals, with each deal getting twice as much.
"That's because it starts with finding out their perceptions, so one has a better starting point. Then if one values their perceptions, they become more persuadable. That doesn't mean giving in, but it means trying to meet the needs of all parties so the deal will last longer and be more sustainable," he explained.
The model focuses on collecting more information about the parties and the situation, producing much more to trade - tangible and intangible.
The information is used in a structured set of steps to solve more problems more quickly.
It is far more collaborative and yet insists on fairness. It doesn't have the kind tricks or tactics common to most negotiations today - those tricks and tactics create less value and cause long-term harm to relationships, he elaborated.
Responding to a question on how individuals can improve their negotiation skills as they work towards attaining a high-ranking position in a company, Diamond said: "Get to know as much as you can about the individuals you are dealing with: not just what they do at work, but who they are as individuals - likes, dislikes, etc."
"Also, make sure you keep in touch with people at low levels in the organisation; they are closest to the work, will serve as an early warning system for problems, and are more likely to tell you the truth. In addition, get to know the people who have been there longest, at any level. They know the pitfalls and history that will be helpful to you in managing."
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com