Understanding Good Faith Negotiation

When negotiating with others we are engaging in a powerful exercise that involves communication, patience, goal setting, and conflict management. However, many people do not understand negotiation or how it can help or hurt them as a result. In this article, I will provide some important tips and information to help you navigate the negotiation process as an effective speaker.

First, A Negotiation Is Not an Agreement Between Equals – To be absolutely clear, a negotiation IS NOT an agreement between equally reasonable people. Therefore, it is the process by which you present your case to your opponent (your negotiator) in an attempt to ameliorate or change a course of action that they have already decided on. The same can be said of any conflict, including those between the employer and employee, manager and staff, or parent and child. When negotiating one must remember that all options should be carefully considered and then implemented in order to reach a mutually satisfactory outcome.

Second, False Negotiators Rule the Negotiation Process – There are many types of negotiation that involve both sides making a deal. However, not all negotiations are based on negotiation and most negotiations do not involve both sides meeting in a conference room and making a deal. Negotiations often take place in a workplace environment, between two or more individuals, or among several individuals. False negotiators, also known as “ambulance chasers” or “ambulance-chasing” negotiators, will come into any negotiation with a goal in mind and attempt to bring about a quick and dirty deal or to make the other side work hard for the sake of the deal.

Third, Good Faith Negotiations CAN happen – Good faith negotiations CAN occur between good faith people. Good faith negotiations ARE possible between individuals who sincerely want to negotiate a good deal for their children and to reach an understanding. GOOD Faith Negotiation CAN happen when a businessperson wants to reduce his/her taxes or when a married couple seeks to get their marriage records sealed. Good Faith Negotiations CAN happen when an individual is involved in a personal lawsuit or employment case.

Fourth, Emotional Intelligence can help you survive negotiating – The art of good negotiation is a delicate balance of communication and defusing potent emotions. Often, the best way to successfully negotiate is to have developed strategies that use different tactics to defuse strong emotions and the threat of litigation that comes with it. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your own and others’ strong emotions and ability to defuse them effectively. Emotional intelligence is also the key to negotiating successfully when you are tired or emotionally beaten down by the other side’s tactics.

Fifth, Culture teaches Business Negotiation – A business negotiation professional who specializes in business negotiations understands the culture of the company he is working for and the nuances of the culture. A highly successful negotiator is one who can “read” the inner thinking of the people around him and determine how to strike a good balance in negotiating a good outcome. A good negotiator also has mastered his or her own style of communication so that he/she is not pressured into “reading” the other person as well. The art of business negotiation requires the ability to negotiate within the culture of the company to do that you need a professional negotiator.

Sixth Good Faith Negotiation requires two parties to be at a similar place in mind – Many times, one party may feel strongly about an issue yet not be able to come to a common agreement with another party. The negotiator must be able to “bridge” this difference and find a common ground. If this is not possible, the professional must have a plan of action to address this concern and bring both parties to a similar place in their minds. Good faith negotiation is the ability to disagree without being disagreeable. Many times, we see professionals who engage in good faith negotiation where they have both a firm opinion and a weak opinion.

Seventh, Successful Negotiation requires flexibility, but not for the type of deal making that takes place during normal transactions. When we refer to “good negotiators,” we are generally referring to individuals who are excellent negotiators with normal transactions, not those who engage in one-on-one negotiations where they are attempting to win-win deals from their counterparts. Negotiators who are excellent negotiators in normal situations will probably never be good negotiators for resolving specific issues or complex contract disputes. It is also important to note that excellent negotiators can become even better negotiators when they learn to read others’ intentions. This comes naturally to many of us and is rarely taught in business school. Learning to read the signs that others are signaling is one of the most important skills you can and should learn.

The Four Most Common Ways to Influence Others

It takes time, effort, practice, and expertise to develop influencing skills. A good transparent leader is one who allows subordinates to know and sense why certain decisions are being made. However, without maintaining openness in day-to-day operational functions, a leader may become a misleading and questionable personality. This holds especially true if the leader has not been fully transparent in leading the people in his organization.

For some individuals, developing good personal effectiveness starts by learning to communicate well. Leaders who have developed their communication skills can effectively influence others. This begins with understanding their followers’ perspective on issues. Knowing what motivates them, what inspires them and what makes them tick enables leaders to craft relevant messages that will touch people’s hearts and minds.

Good listening skills and an active listening skill set go hand in hand. In fact, influencing is an activity for which listening is one of the most significant skill. Individuals who are good at influencing and communicating can also be skilled at listening effectively. The key is to learn to listen properly. The following are six techniques that leaders can use in order to improve their listening skills:

Indirect influencing: An indirect influencing skill involves building influence through intermediaries. A popular example of indirect influencing is the work that a manager does in order to influence subordinates. The boss may consult with a professional, a colleague, or an outside expert on a particular matter. While the aim of influencing the individual is clear, the leader must ensure that he communicates the intended message in a clear and non-misleading manner. In addition, the leader must be able to convince his subordinate that the information that he has provided is reliable. A compromise of this skill occurs when the leader only expresses his opinion and strongly suggests that other sources should consider the same.

Creative influencing: Another form of influencing that takes place without the use of intermediaries is creative feedback. This means that one person gives another positive feedback, which causes the receiving individual to take action in a way that the source originally would have not. For example, a salesperson can give a colleague encouragement regarding a particular effort, which allows the salesperson to feel more positive about his own job performance. This style of constructive feedback is an important tool in obtaining constructive feedback, as it enables leaders to shape their subordinates’ behavior through words. Creative feedback enables leaders to cultivate their own leadership talents by helping them find new ideas that they can use to positively affect their subordinates’ lives.

I can also give constructive feedback in response to requests for payment or service. When leaders understand that their subordinates have a need for payment or provision, they should offer this in a way that is open, and polite but effective. For instance, if a leader informs a worker that he needs more information on a particular issue, he should provide that information in such a way that is respectful, open, and non-insulting. In this manner, leaders help their workers feel valued, which helps them do their jobs better. In addition, this type of social influence skills creates a bond between leaders and their workers-the key to organizational success.

Communication skills are also among the most important aspects of influencing tactics. In fact, leaders must be skilled in communicating and developing meaningful communication in order to effectively influence others. Excellent communication skills can lead to successful relations, and good leaders make effective relationships with all their subordinates. Therefore, good leaders must be able to communicate well in order to get the desired results for their organizations. A leader’s communication skills can include effective listening, giving instructions to employees, encouraging subordinates to work toward common goals, and conveying appropriate messages.

There are other influencing tactics that managers can employ to get the results they want for their companies, but these four represent the most common. By learning how to persuade subordinates, managers gain control over the direction their organizations take. Through communication skills and effective leadership, managers influence others to act in ways that benefit their organizations and their employees.