Describe the Topic Chosen and Explain why it was Chosen
Communication is an important factor that can spell the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful organization . It is important for as many members of an organization possible to have a stable and clear line of communication so that they can work more productively, efficiently, and effectively. In various books and empirical studies about organizational leadership, it has been proven time and again that not only maintaining open lines of communication between any two or more parties in an organization helps maintain the status quo in terms of operations and work output but also in terms of reaching milestones in various organizational outcomes . Negotiation is an important aspect of communication. To negotiate means to make an agreement . In a highly globalized and connected world such as the one we live in today, making agreements with various stakeholders (i.e. suppliers, buyers, marketing and advertising professionals, and etc.) can be crucial to a company’s survival. Needless to say, an organization that does not excel in making negotiations can be in danger. The topic for this presentation would be negotiation and how any members of an organization can improve their negotiation skills not only for the benefit of their career but also for the benefit of their companies. This topic has been chosen because of its relevance in the field of organizational management.
What learning outcomes do you hope to achieve
There are a total of two learning outcomes that we aim to achieve for this training session. The first one would be the ability to think clearly whenever negotiating with another person from another company. Often, persons who are on the negotiating table get tricked by the person negotiating from the opposite party because they have failed to think clearly when the terms of the agreements were being set . We cannot stress the importance of being able to think clearly (thinking of the repercussions of the agreement to the organization, and whether the terms of the organization would lead to a quid quo pro scenario for both parties) whenever negotiating. Second would be the ability to think of the other party (not necessarily the opposing one). Contrary to what most people think, success in negotiating involves thinking of the effects of the outcome of the deal with the other parties involved too. These are the two learning outcomes that we hope the participants of this training would learn about negotiating.
Materials Needed
For this training, we will try to make things as simple as possible. All we need to learn to negotiate are ourselves, and for the presentation portion, some presentation paraphernalia such as whiteboard, a projector, computers, tables and chairs, and some note-taking materials for those who may need it. We want to try to make things as simple as possible; and we also want to focus on the application of the learning outcomes rather than on theories.
Activities
A workshop for the training session participants would be prepared. The workshop requires three persons per group. The first two persons within the group would serve as the negotiators for their company (a hypothetical one) while the remaining one person would basically be in charge of speculating and observing the good and the bad things about the two and discussing them to the concerned individuals after the first round of the workshop is finished. Each of the two negotiators would be given a scenario wherein they would have to negotiate their terms to the representative from the other party with the ultimate goal of making them agree to those terms. The remaining one person would basically serve both as the mediator and the spectator. After each round, a feedback portion would be hosted by the mediator of each group. After which, there will be a rotation until all three members of the group have experienced being the mediator and the discusser of the good and the bad things they noticed about the negotiating practices of their peers. This is a highly interactive activity that tests each person’s ability to negotiate and use them in a real-life setting.
References
Gangopadhyaya, A., Kamin, C., & Riser, R. (2013). Assessing Residents' Interprofessional Conflict Negotiation Skills. European Business Research.
Hindriks, K., & Jonker, C. (2012). Special Issue on Human Factors and Computational Models in Negotiation. Group Decision and NEgotiation.
Sheldon, P., Ehrlich, J., & Wardrop, J. (2012). Enhancing Student Learning in Negotiation Skills: Using Authentic and In-authentic Assessment Tasks. European Business Research.
Shockley, P. (2011). Fundamentals of Organizational Communication. Wiley and Sons.
