Introduction
Negotiation is the process by which two or more people settle their differences divide a resource. Effective negotiation techniques, therefore, become essential since we are faced with many conflicting situations in our daily lives, where the parties involved want to satisfy their conditions (Fells, 15). Such situations hence, warrant a detailed understanding of the concept of negotiation if a favorable outcome to both parties is to be realized. This paper assesses my strengths and weaknesses as a negotiator and how I can improve on them. It also analyzes the key lessons I learned from class discussions, lectures and readings, giving an insight into the key elements of effective negotiation. This essay also gives an account on how the concepts of negotiations lay themselves in my personal life. Finally, the paper also gives an analysis of the type of negotiator I would like to become and highlights the steps towards reaching my aspiration.
I have excellent communication and listening which are some of the interpersonal skills that I consider being the cornerstone of any negotiation process. I consider this particularly important since it allows me to clearly and effectively express my interests and desired outcomes to the other party during a negotiation (Olekalns and Adair, 97). Misunderstandings or misinterpretations of my interests, reasoning or outcomes are thus minimized during a bargaining meeting. Active listening, on the other hand, allows me to analyze the non-verbal cues in the conversation to identify any areas for compromise or deceptions in my opponent’s argument. Excellent interpersonal skills have enabled me to exercise patience in convincing others without any manipulation, thereby, maintaining a good working relationship with the parties I bargain with.
My other strengths stem from the fact that I am a good problem analyst. I can effectively analyze an argument and identify the issue, projected outcome, and interests of the other party. Identification and definition of the issue helps find a compromise for both of us. Furthermore, my extensive preparation and background checks before a negotiation have proved useful in ensuring a favorable outcome is reched. I always ensure that I do an analysis of the negotiable issues, interests of the other party, BATNA, and reservation points. I also make sure to source for ways of protecting my BATNA as well as the appropriate bargaining zone. Moreover, I also do an analysis of the history of our relationship and previous bargaining to identify the shared goals. This proves useful in setting the tone for the present bargaining. The strength of the relationship determines how aggressive I will be and the bounds I am willing to cross to protect the relationship if it is important to me as explained by Fells (71).
I consider the lack of emotional control during a negotiation, my biggest weakness. My emotions take control of me when a negotiation does not go according to my plan. It has made me lose on some good deals because I always opt for a situation that distorts the agreement quality and destroys my relationship with the other party. Many negotiation biases, therefore, arise in such situations, for instance, I end up agreeing to an argument that is worse than my BATNA. The outcome is always regrets that I could have gotten more from the negotiation.
My other weakness is my inability to set and adhere to a time frame on any bargaining meeting. I never define how long a negotiation should take before its commencement. A time frame becomes important since the moment a bargaining takes more than it should take, then it is probably best to end it and source for alternatives (Olekalns and Adair, 102). The first step to ameliorate my weaknesses is by recognizing that they exist. Proper planning and preparation before entering a bargaining meeting is the best way to work on my weaknesses, they help to determine what to expect so that I can be in more control of my emotions. Besides, it can also give insight on the amount of time that I should invest in a negotiation, such that I can walk away when the time frame is exceeded.
I admire the fact that a skilled negotiator can earn the trust of the other party they are bargaining with. They normally create a good rapport with their opponent's, thus earning their trust. To create a good rapport, skilled negotiators usually demonstrate interest by listening actively to the opponent and making them aware that they are listening through their body language. In addition, they tend to display knowledge of the opponent's interests, culture, values, beliefs and even priorities in their communication (Olekalns and Adair, 99). The information can help the negotiator come up with strategies that are appropriate to their opponent’s culture. To make the whole process sound practical, they could show a little bit of emotion that depicts empathy towards the opponent and that they support their interests. The opponent, therefore, develops some confidence in the negotiator and trusts them to conduct the bargaining process with utmost integrity, benevolence, and competence. This gives the negotiator an upper hand of arriving at a more favorable outcome (Gates, 106).
The concept of negotiating with an ‘opportunity mindset' is memorable to me. Laying more emphasis on opportunities is rather remarkable to me as it shows the mind of a victor, who sees every situation as negotiable and can result in a favorable outcome, unlike an accommodator who sees negotiations as obstacles and a source of conflicts (Blake, Browne, and Sime, 113). I have learned that effective communication and active listening are essential in any negotiations. Further, I have also understood the importance of preparation as it helps in the definition of BATNA, options, interests and positions of both parties involved in a negotiation process, my strengths and strategies of ameliorating my weaknesses. The course has enabled me master ways of gaining control of my emotions, and I am in a better position of controlling them in my future negotiations. These lessons will be helpful in my future negotiations as I will be in more control of the bargaining through thorough preparation and avoidance of any agreement bias, having learned the element of effective negotiations.
The importance of preparation before any bargaining meeting is the lesson that had the biggest impact on me. It is so because preparation lays the foundation of any negotiation. Preparation determines whether or not one has control over the bargaining process (Oliver Opresnik, 44). We prepare and plan ahead by determining the goals, flexible and, adaptable strategy that we can implement to achieve our interests and realize a win-win situation in a negotiation. Through preparation, we also learn to control our emotions, which as mentioned earlier, is one of my weaknesses. Besides, preparation also helps in defining our BATNA such that there is an option if an agreement is not arrived at. Through preparation, we also sharpen our communication, listening, and interpersonal skills
The influence of relational interdependence and the need to belong during a negotiation process was a bit surprising. The fact that negotiators are willing to compromise their position because they trust the other party or since they value their relationship leads to an unfair and unfavorable outcome (Oliver Opresnik, 65). The parties, therefore, end up settling for less or fail to satisfy their interests. The course has made me think of negotiation as a more competitive process that allows the best negotiator to win. I used to be more reserved in my negotiations and more cooperative making me look at the whole process as an obstacle. I would, therefore, have limited control over the whole process, and the result was an unfavorable outcome.
Most of the concepts of negotiations learned in the class discussions play themselves out in my everyday life. As I interrelate, with family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues and even strangers, I often come across a range of conflicting opinions, needs, and goals that everyone wishes to fulfill on their own conditions. I am then forced to negotiate with them so as to arrive at a favorable outcome that meets both of our interests, for instance, making negotiations with my employer on salary increment. More often than not, however, we always arrive at a solution that is worse than our alternatives (BATNA), or that does not meet either of our interests. The course has helped me understand why the biases arise. To start with, a compromise made by either party due to the need to belong leads to establishment of trust such that the opponent does not feel that they can be treated unfairly in the whole process. Furthermore, it reduces the likelihood of the opponent identifying any deceptions in the agreement and increase their vulnerability to deception into accepting an unfavorable outcome. Another reason is relational interdependence that determines the aggressiveness of a negotiator such that increased levels of the interdependence translate to a more cooperative negotiator (Oliver Opresnik, 101).
My discussion gives a general knowledge of the elements of effective negotiation through an analysis of my strengths, weaknesses and the qualities I admire in other negotiators. The discussions clearly point out the importance of planning and preparing for a bargaining meeting. It is of more importance as it defines the key elements of an effective negotiation. Through planning, one identifies their interests and positions, thereby, making a clear distinction between the two (Fells, 59. The information gathered can then be used to define the aspiration points, reservation points, BATNA and in some circumstances WATNA. The other party's culture and beliefs can also be identified so that the negotiator comes up with negotiation styles that conform to them. The discussions also explain the importance of communication and listening in effective negotiation, as they help in gaining an opponent’s trust and detecting any deceptions in the other party’s interests or BATNA. Finally, my discussion also lays emphasis on relational interdependence as it defines the extent of aggressiveness of a negotiator.
The whole discussion has incorporated the concepts discussed in class. The lectures on preparation for a negotiation process, have helped me to define my strengths and weaknesses as a negotiator and the negotiating technique I admire in other negotiators. The concept of competition and cooperation in a negotiation process have also been analyzed in my discussion, giving more insight into why I would like to become a competitor. A competitor focuses on opportunities and is prepared to win regardless of the obstacles that may arise during the negotiation process (Blake et al., 114).Class discussions have also made me determine the changes I can make in my future negotiation endeavors by defining the elements of an effective bargaining process. My discussion has, thus, shown an in-depth understanding of the key concepts taught in class.
My strengths enabled me to prepare well for the negotiation by clearly defining my interests, BATNA, aspiration and reservation points, as well as my opponent’s interests. This helped me to have control over the whole negotiation process as I clearly understood the options present in the argument. Besides, I was also able to articulate clearly my position to the other party such that misinterpretations were avoided. My weaknesses, conversely, derailed the whole negotiation process being that I almost had an emotional outburst when I figured out that the opponent was not honest about their BATNA. The fact that I did not define the time frame for the negotiation caused a rather long bargaining process. We managed to reach a favorable outcome and got a deal that was better than my BATNA and conversely, met my interests and the other party's interests.
I aspire to be a competitive negotiator who fixates on opportunities, rather than an accommodator who concentrates on obstacles. I want to be a negotiator who believes that everything is negotiable and that through proper communication between parties, a favorable agreement can be reached, despite the underlying obstacles (Blake et al., 113). This can be achieved by reshaping my conventional negotiation style. The first step into reaching my goal is understanding my strengths and weaknesses such that the opponent cannot use them to their advantage. The other step is to conduct thorough planning and preparation before the negotiation process to define my goals and priorities, the opponent’s interest, compatible interests, BATNA, reservation points and even the other party’s culture. The information will help me have more control over the negotiation process.
Sharpening my communication and listening skills is also another step toward becoming a better negotiator. Excellent communication and listening skills will enable me earn the trust of my opponent and also enhance clear and precise communication of my priorities interests and reservation point. Through listening, I can detect any deception from my opponent and any compromises that can be made in the process. Through communication and listening, a climate of cooperation is fostered. Constant practice is another strategy to perfecting my negotiation skills. I could role play with a friend and rehearse my negotiation strategies to them. Enrolling for this course has been a strategy to enhance my skills as it gives me feedback on what areas need improvements, as I learn new techniques. I believe that when I incorporate all these strategies, I will become more flexible and participate in the bargaining process more tactfully, thereby becoming a skilled competitor.
Conclusion
The essay has given an account of the importance of proper planning and preparation in a negotiation process, as one of my strengths. It has also elaborated on the role of excellent communication and listening skills in a bargaining meeting. A discussion on my lack of emotional control and inability to set a time frame for a negotiation process have also been discussed, as they are my major weaknesses as a negotiator. The weaknesses have resulted in me losing control in a negotiation process such that my opponents have an advantage over me. The essay has also expanded my admiration for the ability of skilled negotiators to earn the trust of their opponents. The trust enables the opponent to trust the negotiator to conduct the whole bargaining process with utmost integrity, benevolence, and competence. The paper has also discussed my aspirations of becoming a competitor, a negotiator who is not driven by the obstacles in a negotiation but by the opportunities I stand to explore. In a nutshell, the essay has given a general overview of the elements of effective negotiation and an in-depth understanding of the concepts of the course taught in class.
Works Cited
Blake, Susan H, Julie Browne, and Stuart Sime. A Practical Approach To Alternative Dispute Resolution. UK: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print.
Fells, Railton Edward. Effective Negotiation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016. Print.
Gates, Steve. The Negotiation Book: Your Definitive Guide To Successful Negotiating (2Nd Edition). New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2015. Print.
Olekalns, Mara, and Wendi L Adair. Handbook Of Research On Negotiation. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013. Print.
Oliver Opresnik, Marc. The Hidden Rules Of Successful Negotiation And Communication. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2014. Print.
