Negotiating with Monkeys
I am unaware of any research into the negotiating habits of monkeys. But the monkeys in Bali do negotiate – at least with humans – and apparently do it fairly well. This week’s column is based on BBC Planet Earth’s 3-minute video (here’s the LINK) entitled The...
Lessons Learned 2023 – Part Two
Here’s part two of my annual list of lessons learned and a reminder to put these strategies into practice in 2024. You won’t get better results if you don’t implement them. Almost all negotiations involve the weighing and prioritizing of interests along with...
Lessons Learned 2023 – Part One
Here’s part one of my annual list of lessons learned and a reminder to put these strategies into practice in 2024. You won’t get better results if you don’t implement them. Each also has a link to my column with more detail. Part two will be next week’s column. This...
Work works.
Here is Part Two of the negotiation lessons I gleaned from mega movie star and former California Governor and Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life” (and here is Part One if you missed it). “If there is one unavoidable truth in...
Knowledge is Power
I recently read mega movie star and former California Governor and Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life.” Interestingly, I found a lot of negotiation nuggets in it, all of which were couched as life lessons. Of course, negotiation...
Momentum Matters in Negotiations
It appears some powerful momentum is currently being generated in the hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The first several hostages were released October 23. Then last week more were released each day of the 4-day negotiated “pause.” (For a good summary of...
Advice for Negotiators at Thanksgiving
Four years ago, I wrote a Negotiators Guide to Thanksgiving Conversations and eight years ago I wrote a column thanking negotiators for exhibiting certain effective traits that make all our negotiations better. Here are three more effective negotiator traits to be...
Dealing with Surprises in Negotiations
I’m a planner, as a core element of what I teach involves creating Strategic Negotiation Plans based on the experts’ proven research. To implement proven negotiation strategies in a systematic, disciplined way, you must plan and think it through before you pick...
The Power of Pattern Bargaining
I remember taking a labor history course in college years ago that opened my eyes to the hostile and contentious record of union-management negotiations going back to the advent and growth of unions in the late 19th and early 20th century. Violence was not that...
Expert Negotiation Advice for $0 to $300
“What should I do? I have a significant upcoming negotiation. Ideally, I would hire you to consult with me on it. But I just can’t afford your fee. What’s the next best, lower cost option for me?” I get this question fairly frequently. Here’s my answer, which I...