Africa-Press – Lesotho. Negotiating is a fundamental fact of life. Whether you are working on a project or fulfilling support duties. The process of negotiation can make one find they can save time
and money, develop a higher degree of satisfaction with outcomes at either home, village and at work, and earn greater respect in their communities when
they understand how to negotiate well. We all negotiate daily (with family members, when renting an apartment, making a purchase or applying for a job,
etc) and this might even be the most important factor in career advancement. Negotiating is also the key to business success. At a strategic level businesses are concerned with the value creation and competitive advantage and
this highly depends on the skill of negotiation. And this requires one to recognize the importance of preparing for the negotiation process, regardless
of the circumstances, identify the various negotiation styles and their advantages and disadvantages and gain skill in developing alternatives and recognizing options.
Negotiation is a process centered on a discussion that is intended to produce an agreement. In its simplest form it could be considered to be about power as the parties work
to achieve their own interests. Negotiation takes place over a period of time and moves through a series of steps. There are several methods for negotiation.
They can be judged by three criteria: It is always wise to put in mind that negotiators are People First. When it comes to negotiations, we are dealing
with human beings. And when people get passionate about something, it is a good reminder for us to see that they have emotions, convictions, and different
paradigms. When things get heated, which they will at times, remember that your emotions and hot buttons are also involved. Ask yourself if you are paying
attention to the people, or are getting distracted by positions. There are only three ways to improve your negotiating skills: All three of these things come about because you actually are negotiating.
The essence of negotiating is that in order to get what we want, sometimes we have to give something up. This is called Positional Bargaining. People are normally tempted
to argue based on position rather than principle. They get so focused on what they want (and their position) that they lose sight of the topic being argued,
and the principle. Since a negotiation is a form of conversation and, the idea is to have successful negotiations that contribute to more conversations.
Be careful that your approach to negotiating does not lead to a battle of wills. Each of you can clearly state what you are willing to do or not do, and then
work through the problem Negotiation can be conducted, and categorized, in different ways and below are some common examples types of negotiators: Soft
negotiators want to create a conflict-free environment and make concessions readily in order to reach agreement. Their goal is for amicable resolution, yet they often end up being exploited and
feeling bitter. Hard negotiators approach a situation as a battle of wills, and will take an extreme position on the premise that the negotiator that holds out the longest will get what they want.
Their aim is to win, although what often results is a response by the other negotiator that is just as hard. Hard negotiations take a lot of energy and tend to leave the
negotiator exhausted, and the relationship damaged with the other side. Principled negotiation is a third approach and draws from the strengths of hard and soft negotiation.
This approach relies upon a commitment to mutual gain, so the benefit to both parties is clear. Where interests conflict, the outcomes need to be grounded on a development of a fair
standard that is independent of the desires of the other party. Principled negotiation is the method preferred in the professional or corporate world.
Soft and hard bargaining involves negotiating a position rather than interests. To avoid some of the common problems associated with bargaining over positions,
negotiators who take a soft approach treat the participants as friends, seeking agreement and offering concessions as a way to create or preserve a positive
relationship with the other side. A soft bargainer behaves transparently, sharing their bottom line, which can leave them vulnerable to a hard bargainer
who is competitive, hides their bottom line, and offers few concessions, if any. In a negotiation between a soft and hard bargainer, the hard approach will
almost always come out with a much better deal. We may not be able to change our primary style a great deal, but if we recognize the traits of a good negotiator, we can continually practice and sharpen our skills until we are
better than we are right now. The better we become, the more we can get done in less time. A good negotiator will try to address their own agenda but does so with consideration to the other party’s agenda.
For More News And Analysis About Lesotho Follow Africa-Press
