Annie's Reading Room Last week, we reviewed some strategies to mitigate challenges that may be associated with perception when separating the people from the problem. This week we move onwards to emotion , an inevitable component of interacting with another human, but one that can make negotiation quite tricky. Emotion People often come to a negotiation realizing that the stakes are high and feeling threatened. As you probably already know first-hand, emotions on one side will generate emotions on the other. First recognize and understand emotions, theirs, and yours . “In dealing with negotiators who represent organizations, it is easy to treat them as mere mouthpieces without emotions. It is important to remember that they too, like you, have personal feelings, fears, hopes, and dreams. Their careers may be at stake.” Assess why you and they are producing the expressed emotions. Separate the People from the Problem: Emotion Pay attention to “core conce...

Annie's Reading Room Negotiators are people first. “Whatever else you are doing at any point during a negotiation, from preparation to follow-up, it is worth asking yourself:   Am I paying enough attention to the people problem ?” Separate the People from the Problem: Perception Every negotiator has two kinds of interests: in the substance and in the relationship. In most negotiations, the ongoing relationship is far more important than the outcome of any particular negotiation. The problem is, “a major consequence of the “people problem” in negotiation is that the parties’ relationship tends to become entangled with their discussions of substance.”   “Deal with people problems by changing how you treat people; don’t try to solve them with substantiative concerns….To deal with psychological problems, use psychological techniques.” The people problems all fall into one of three baskets: Perception, Emotion, and Communication . “The techniques that follow...

Annie's Reading Room Hi Everyone! I hope you are enjoying the first few weeks of your summer break, or “break” for many of you! As part of Annie’s Reading Room , I rea d and profile “classic” business books that have stood the test of time. However, below is a list of suggested summer reading – 10 books that that have been published within the last year. I won’t be reading these books for you, but hopefully along with you! 1) Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable, or to dare greatly. Whether the arena is a new relationship, an important meeting, our creative process, or a difficult family conversation, we must find the courage to walk into vulnerability and engage with our whole hearts. In Daring Greatly , Dr. Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability. Base...

Annie's Reading Room  The Problem: Don’t Bargain Over Positions Imagine a customer and purveyor at a flea market “bargaining” over an antique piece priced at $75. The potential customer offers $15, and the two go back and forth with no agreed upon price reached. This is an example of positional bargaining. Any method of negotiation may be fairly judged by three criteria: <!--[if !supportLists]--> ·           - <!--[endif]--> It should provide a wise agreement if agreement is possible <!--[if !supportLists]--> ·          - <!--[endif]-->It should be efficient <!--[if !supportLists]--> ·          - <!--[endif]-->It should improve or at least not damage the relationship between the parties. The problem with positional bargaining is that people get locked into their positions. “The more you clarify your position and defend it against attack, the more c...