Mosaic Cafe

How to Successfully Negotiate in Writing

by Greg Williams
www.themasternegotiator.com

When you negotiate in writing, compared to face to face, do you change your negotiation style? If you don’t, you should consider doing so. After all, cues you would otherwise pick up in a face to face negotiation, you’ll miss, because you won’t be able to discern nonverbal signals and other cues you’d gather in face to face negotiating. How then do you gain an advantage when you negotiate in writing? The answer, you have to be more aware of the meaning of the words in the communications. You must pay very close attention to the placement of the words, and understand how the author expresses and states his position; you should also observe how your opponent interprets the words you use. In essence, as you express your negotiation position, you need to determine the impact your words will have on your opponent. You’ll also have to take into consideration the culture of the other person/people and the meaning that some words have in his/their culture.

There are some things you need to do regardless of whether you’re negotiating face to face, over the phone, or via written communications. You still have to go about gathering background information on the subject you’re negotiating with. In so doing, in addition to the ‘normal’ information you’d look for, when negotiating in written form, you also need to retrieve written samples of that person’s writing style. The purpose of this exercise will become extensively more valuable as you go deeper into the negotiation process.

"Do You Hear What I Hear?"

                      "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
Deconstructing Racist Ideology and Perceptions While “Doing” Diversity

By Dr. Carol Parker Walsh, JD, PhD, CEO ParkerWalsh Consulting, www.parkerwalshconsulting.com

Recently I attend an operations meeting in my organization and at the suggestion of the facilitator a brainstorming session ensued over the pressing issues for the upcoming fiscal year. Debating with myself, in my head, on whether or not I should broach a relatively volatile subject in the organization, I decided, “What the hell,” braced myself, and commented, “Diversity is an issue of importance.”  Continuing, I noted that students, faculty, and staff have expressed multiple concerns over discriminatory and racist comments and treatment. I took a breath to form my next sentence and before a word could be spoken, the attack begun. As I sat back and heard a myriad of reasons why either this topic was inappropriate for this group or feigned naiveté over how could we possible operationalize and thereby “do” diversity, I was reminded of the debate which transpired in my head only moments before and my subconscious promptly teased, “I told you so.” Only when those at the table and over the phone realized the absence of my voice did I hear, “Do you want to explain what you meant?” Weary of the battle, which had now been waged for several years now, I said, “Forget it, I withdraw the comment, move on,” to the obvious discomfort of those in the room and on the phone.

Project the Right Image to Negotiate Successfully

Remember the saying "First impressions are lasting impressions"?  Well that still rings true, and even more so in today's high speed environment.  Read Greg Williams advice on projecting the right image for successful negotiations and go grab that deal!