Readers' Corner - Negotiation

Fred Longley and Edward Popoff
Library
Source: Workplace Bulletin, December 15, 2005

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Negotiation

Fisher, Roger and Daniel Shapiro
Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate
New York: Viking, 2005
BF 637 N4 F56

Negotiators often treat emotion as an obstacle to rational thought and do not realize the opportunity presented by positive emotions.

To address this problem the authors identify five “core concerns” important to almost everyone in virtually every negotiation—appreciation, affiliation, autonomy, status and role—and explain how to use them to better understand the emotional experience of each party in negotiation and to stimulate positive emotions on both sides. By addressing the concern rather than the emotion, the negotiator can gauge the needs of the other party and facilitate the attainment of a mutually acceptable agreement.

The emotional climate of negotiation is improved by thorough preparation in terms of the negotiation process, the substantive issues, and the emotions of each party.

Lum, Grande
The Negotiation Fieldbook: Simple Strategies to Help Negotiate Everything
New York; London: McGraw-Hill, 2005
HD 58.6 L85

This guide offers practical advice on what to say during negotiation. The advice is designed to be effective whether or not the other side is collaborative.

Part One discusses the basic elements of negotiation: Interests (subjective needs and interests of the parties); Criteria (objective benchmarks); Options (possible solutions); and No-Agreement Alternatives.

Part Two provides a practical step-by-step approach to the negotiation process, focusing on setting goals, effective communication, and building effective working relationships.

Part Three examines preparation, including knowing how to deal with difficult tactics and treating all negotiations as cross-cultural experiences.

Pinet, Angelique
The Everything Negotiating Book: Savvy Techniques for Getting What You Want – At Work and At Home
Avon, Mass.: Adams Media, 2005
HD 58.6 P56

This practical manual is structured around the negotiation process, beginning with preparation—prioritizing your goals, considering possible concessions, knowing common and conflicting objectives, and analyzing alternatives.

Succeeding chapters discuss negotiating styles and techniques and how to deal with them; using strengths and weaknesses of both parties to create mutually beneficial solutions; learning and using body language; handling deadlines; and avoiding roadblocks that can prevent agreement.

Thomas, Jim
Negotiate to Win: the 21 Rules for Successful Negotiation, 1 st ed.
New York: HarperBusiness, 2005
BF 637 N4 T46

This book reduces theories and practices of negotiation to 21 of the most significant “rules of negotiating,” based on the author's experience.

The rules are presented in three categories: critical, important but obvious, and nice to do. Critical rules, influencing most of what determines negotiation outcomes, are accorded by far the most important role. A chapter explains why win win negotiation, in which the outcome benefits both parties, is essential.

The book takes the reader through a complete negotiation process, showing where each of the 21 rules applies.