English Negotiation

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Mental Errors

(I couldn't write a CPA's recap because I was sick during this roleplay) We are all humans, all irrational. Mentals errors are refered to the decisions and the actions we make when impacted by our emotions. Some of these choices could be considered as irrational and confusing. This reading explains us the mental errors we make during the negotiations. If we want a negotiation to be successful, we must remain calm, composed and focused. I. Escalation An irrational escalation is an error committed by otherwise level-headed businesspeople when they get into difficult and competitive negotiations. The reasons of escalation can be : the feeling of someone who can't stand losing ; bidding content or a principal problem at work for example. To avoid escalation we should : know our BATNA ; set a reasonable reservation price and set clear breakpoints. II. Partisan perceptions It's is a psychological phenomenon that brings people to perceive the world a bias i...

EuroMouse Project - Negotiating Across Cultures

This negotiation opposed the Mouse company (An American Multinational Company) and the mayors of 4 towns : Bailly, Coupvray, Magny and Chessy. The Mouse company and the French government signed the Master Agreement to allow Mouse to build Euromouse : a huge amusement park in Marne-La-Vallée. But due to very bad relationships between Mouse and 4 towns involved into the project a negotiation was organized to find solutions and settle the disagreements between the two sides. In this role-play, I played the role of the government official in the Ministry of International Trade. I was very proud of the Master Agreement, this project will increase the influence of the country through the world. The press has been a problem so I am looking for good press releases. Definitely, I felt much more comfortable in this role-play than all the others. I applied more active and effective listening. Moreover, I learned to be less aggresive and more accomodating. During the negotiatio...

The Hidden Challenge of Cross-Border Negotiations

As written in the negotiation's book of David S. Hames and as James K. Sebenius said « Cultural differences can influence business negotiation in significant and unexpected ways , as many a hapless deal maker has learned. In some cases, it's a matter of ignorance or blatant disrespect, as with the American salesman who presented a potential Saudi Arabian client with a multimillion-dollar proposal in pigskin blinder, considered vile in many Muslin cultures » The first idea we have to keep in mind is that cultural tendancies influence how people interact as well as the processes involved in negotiations. In cross-cultural negotiations, we have got different players. Abroad we can find extra players that are different than ones we would fine at home. In the most cases, they are non-obvious. We can loose a lot of money and waste loads of time when we don't understand each player's role and who owns which decision. On the other side, the cultural asump...

When an Angry Public Wants to be Heard

Managing the nonviolent communication is the key ! In fact, when negotiators get along well and create a climate of confidence : the negotiation is easy, healthy and productive. But if when they get angry, the negotiation becomes difficult : A mechanism of war is put into practice. The negotiator is seeking for everyways to destroy his opponent and forgets all the benefits of a long-term relationship. The interest is no longer to come to an agreement but to win the battle. It's too bad. I prefer considering negotiation as sports competition than a war. The potential gains are more interesting in the sports ! That proves that negotiation and violence are not compatible. This reading gives us several advices to approach crisis communications and facing an angry public. 1. Acknowledge the concerns of the other side Using concessions with intelligence et using empathy are two good tools. 2. Encourage joint fact finding It's emotionally complicated to generate ...

Chestnut Drive Negotiation

CHESTNUT VILLAGE ROLE PLAY Chesnut Drive is a short, dead-end residential street in Bunyonville. Many Families live in Chestnut Drive. Few weeks ago, a construction of a 77-unit condominium complex on an eight-acre plot at the end of Chestnut Drive started. The only access to the construction site is by Chestnut Drive. The problem is that there were some accidents involving kids. Moreover, employees drive fast in this street, there is a lot of noise and the street is full of dirt. The neighborhood representatives finally succeeded in obtaining a meeting with the general counsel and members of Bunyon Construction. My role during this negotation : I am the Shopkeeper of the Chesnut Village. I am a small businessperson owner of a clothing store on Off Broadway and of two-family house on Chesnut Drive. Actually, I am quite pleased with this construction project but it is not possible to tell it to my neighbors. I had to use manipulations technics to avoid them knowing it. ...

Frequently Asked Tactical Questions

This reading covers all the questions frequently asked and related answers needed in a negotiation. The content of the text is divided in three kinds of tactics : tactics regarding price ; tactics regarding process and tactics regarding people. We can consider it as a manual for all aspiring negotiators. I- Tactics regarding price First question: Should I ever state my acceptable range ? If you reveal clearly your acceptable range (for example if you say that you are willing to pay $40,000 to $45,000) then the other side is able to define reservation price. In this case, you will pay at least $45,000. The other side knows a decisive information about your strategy. This is a little bit risky but taking risks can be fruitful. On the other hand, reveal your acceptable range can be a real benefit. Let's imagine a negotiation stagnating. The other person is at $40,000 and you are at $33,000. The other person push the deal to $38,000. Then you can avery that your ran...

Negotiation Analysis, an Introduction

Second lesson, my enthusiasm still present despite the amount of work that is increasing day by day in the others subjects. Before I introduce my reading summary, I wanted to share a little project with you. When I was studying Sales and Marketing in the IUT Paris-Descartes, I had to imagine, write, create and film a short-movie about business negotiation. This project was exciting ! In fact, it gave me the opportunity to mix my passion for cinema and my growing interest in business strategies. Thanks to my network in the audiovisual field, I was able to contact a film crew, who agreed to film our short film for free. In this film I play the role of a trading sales professor. Enjoy your watching : https://youtu.be/OxRiFhaVDGg?t=4m46s We wrote all the plot of this movie. Our main objective was to illustrate a win-to-win negotiation. We can see two sellers from Randstaad France and two buyers from La Parisienne de Mutuelle. It was very interesting to define the psychological...

The Cinnamon Case and "Win As Much As You Can"

During this roleplay, I played the role of the buyer and Mathilde was the seller. I was pretty much more confident than in the prior negotiations. I think that there is two reasons that can explain this new feeling. The first reason is related to the behavior of Mathilde. Her nonverbal communication was very positive. I am very sensitive person, unfortunately I am often impacted by the vibes of my partners. During this negotiation, the impact was positive. I noticed that Mathilde was showing to me very positive signs and she seemed to be open to the negotiation. For sure, her BATNA was precisely defined and accepted by herself. Furthermore, she told me that she was convinced by the corporate culture of her company. The second reason of my trustbuilding was associated to my understanding of the Four Keys Concept. I had the feeling to be more determinated than Mathilde, actually. My Zone of Possible Agreement was totaly clear. However, I think that my BATNA was not rigorous enoug...

FOUR KEY CONCEPTS : The First Reading

BATNA is a concept developed by Roger Fisheer and William Ury, this acronym stands for Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement. The text teaches us that no negotiation method is able to completely overcome substantial differences in power. However, there are ways to protect the weaker party against a poor agreement, and to help the weaker party make the most of their assets. In many situations, we can note that negotiators will establish a "bottom line" in an attempt to protect themselves against a poor agreement. The bottom line is what the party anticipates as the worst acceptable outcome. Negotiators decide in advance of actual negotiations to reject any proposal below that line. Because the bottom line figure is decided upon in advance of discussions, the figure may be arbitrary or unrealistic. The watchword is « always know our BATNA » before entering any negotiations. Thanks to this, we will have options and our level of risk-taking will be less important. C...

First Negotiation Lesson

In my prior studies, I had already study marketing, sales and business negotiation. Thanks to my internships and to my enthusiasm, I had the opportunity to face both theoretical and applied aspects of these strategic tools. To be honest, I had many apriori before joining this course. " I am only going to revise notions that I have already handled. Am I really going to develop new skills? ". I was totally wrong ! This Business Negotiation's course is a pretty great surprise. The first role play we made was very playful. I negotiated at first with Christiane and secondly with Joy. During my negotiation with Christina I was supposed to get at least 80 cts. I obtained 80cts. The first price I proposed was 1 dollars to have a negotiation margin. It was important to listen to her, give a sincere answer to all her objections. I also gave her the feeling that I was making an effort and concessions. my negotiation with Joy was more difficult. Indeed, it is much more tingly...

English Negotiation

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Articles

EUROMOUSE PROJECT SAMPLE PRESS

Mental Errors

EuroMouse Project - Negotiating Across Cultures

The Hidden Challenge of Cross-Border Negotiations

When an Angry Public Wants to be Heard

Chestnut Drive Negotiation

Frequently Asked Tactical Questions

Negotiation Analysis, an Introduction

The Cinnamon Case and "Win As Much As You Can"

FOUR KEY CONCEPTS : The First Reading

First Negotiation Lesson