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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 mutual gains. Each side wants to use arguments that cancel the arguments of the other side.
We can distinguish 5 steps in « join fact finding » process work :
- jointly choose a set of respected experts with different views and disciplinary backgrounds
- work with these experts to develop the scientific questions to be adressed
- allow the experts to articulate areas of consensus as well as disagreement
- question of the experts on their analyses with the help of a neutral party
- ask the experts to interpret their findings in light of follow-up questions from the stakesholders

3. Offer contigent commitments
The negotiation is not an exact science. There is a big part of uncertainty and unforeseen in this process. Indeed, the human psychology are highly varied. To fix this diversity, the parties can develop contingent commitments in order to satisfy both sides. This tool offers an alternative to the uncertainty of the future and permits to the negotiation to go forward.

5. Act in a trustworthy manner at all time
In the trustbuilding process we can consider two fundamentals rules : meaning what you say and saying what you mean.

6. Focus on building long-term relationships

The negotiation is a long and complicated process. It is very important to build long-term relationships in order to create reciprocities rather than alter our relationships with our current business partners. For information, gain new customers be 6 times more expensive to company that to keep his customers (or partners) already conviced.

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