Interaction in business. How to negotiate. 5 required steps.
The goal of most negotiations is to achieve some success in interacting with an opponent or business partners. Someone achieves communication success, due to an intuitive understanding of methods in negotiating. However, many people need training in effective negotiation methods.
It is not uncommon for the negotiation process to end in failure, since its participants engaged in fierce confrontation between themselves. The war of words led to a stalemate, when everyone defends his line, and the more one side presses, the stronger the second resists. And of course, constructively such negotiations will not end.
How to overcome this impasse? How to convince the opposite side to agree with your proposal, not feeling like a loser?
On this occasion, Julien Pelaber, Ph.D. from the University of Sorbonne, transferring knowledge about the negotiation processes, has its own methodology in which it is proposed to use a five-step model in the negotiation processes.
– 1 – Establish contacts.
This is a very important stage, because a benevolent acceptance of your opponent is taking place. This requires objectivity to the partner, not to use the haste in the conclusions and the first impression.
Often, your opponent is endowed with non-existent and exaggerated negative qualities, because of his undesirable position for you.
When, instead of discussing the problems, the opponent’s personality is “washed out”, he will stop listening to the arguments and will go on to his defense. If at some point there is a transition to a person, an urgent refusal of discussion is necessary. We must do everything possible to improve relations. In such a situation will help the manifestation of positive emotions, a modest joke. This will greatly help to advance in solving a business problem.
-2 – Engage in active listening.
Since there are difficulties in obtaining the correct answers without thoughtful questions, it is necessary to show empathy and attentive listening to the opponent. To do this, take advantage of openness:
– reformulations;
– paraphrases;
– pauses;
– silence;
– identified emotions, etc.
It is necessary to give the opportunity to “go out a couple.” Often, when a conflict situation arises, a person gets too emotional reaction. When the will of one’s emotion is given, the situation begins to deteriorate.
A manifestation of understanding is needed: “I understand your reaction and if I had to be in your situation, I would have the same feelings as you … Based on your words, you can come to the following conclusions … I have a correct understanding of your opinion? “.
With the help of such words, the emotional manifestations are mitigated and a possible misunderstanding is reduced.
– 3 – Challenge of confidence.
Confidentiality is necessary in all negotiation processes. If there is no trust, then it will not be possible to come to one solution. There are a number of methodological advice on gaining the trust of a partner and, after learning it, you can use the trusting, emotional nature received from:
* past experience;
* skills and assessments;
* similarities and consensus in the general issue;
* awareness of their own decisions and so on.
And you can also use the trust, organizational nature:
– using the size of your business;
– reputational characteristics;
– past joint participation in business, etc.
Understanding their strength and possession of capabilities, the opponent will not harm the partner, but try to find better contacts and more confidence.
– 4 – Invitation to change.
After the successful completion of the first three stages, the interlocutor is offered conditions for cooperation. A situation may arise when the opponent, after hearing, is preparing to cooperate. In such a situation, you can act as an “inspiring negotiator” and be active, offering and advising something.
And it happens that the partner does not accept the dynamics of the conversation and he does not stop fighting. Then, you do not need to conduct frontal attacks, which will return a solid failure. In this situation, it will be better to start working on proposals and assumptions (“When it suits you … then we will be able to …. And what if we ….”. Now you become “an influential negotiator.”
It is necessary to create a gap in the defensive positions of the partner. If the plan succeeds, your ideas will come to life and grow in your opponent, and you will only wait for it to fully mature.
The negotiator must by all means convince his partner of the benefits and the need to conclude an agreement or come to an agreement on your terms.
– 5 – Escort for agreement.
After an intelligible presentation of your idea to a partner, you need to know that actions will not happen immediately. It takes time to take a final decision and move to concrete actions.
Therefore, it is impossible to lose connections with the opponent. Any change causes a number of concerns, therefore, you need to help your partner get rid of unnecessary anxieties.
