Negotiation Strategies That Build Consensus

Negotiation Strategies That Build Consensus

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Whether you are about to meet one-on-one or with a larger group of people to begin the negotiation process, be aware that the best outcomes typically stem from good pre-planning and managing the actual interaction with purpose and sensitivity.

Too often, when faced with the challenge of incorporating other points of view, we rush to getting our opinions out first without really authentically hearing and assimilating valid opinions others may have.

Certainly as when baking a cake, we don’t use every single ingredient available for fear of coming up with a not so quality final dessert. In the same vein, reaching consensus really means taking the “best” from all to arrive at the optimal end-result.

Here are some tips for making interaction with your contact a rich and fruitful one:

Do your homework

Before your meeting, be clear what your stance and opinions are on key issues. You should be able to clearly and logically articulate your working premise which will be based on the best and most up-to-date facts you have access to and informed assumptions you make.

Know what you want

You should have a clear sense of what the variables are around an issue. Know beforehand those items which are non-negotiable and those where there is room for negotiation. Part of being fully prepared is playing out in your head the ideal outcome scenario and comparing it to other options you can imagine.

Establish negotiation ground rules

Once you are face-to-face with your contact(s), mutually agree to the time frame for the meeting, a broad agenda and what specifically you want to accomplish by the end of the session. It may be that in the course of the conversation new relevant ideas and issues surface. Do your best to honor these and figure out if they are relevant to the current meeting goals. Sometimes it is best to pause and address them immediately. In other cases, you will want to set up separate future meetings to deal with the topics. Should you be making good progress towards negotiation and run out of time, there is no need to rush final closure items; simply agree to a future date to complete the tasks at hand.

Whether you are negotiating the details of a job offer or trying to reach consensus on a project direction with a co-worker, the rules of the road are cooperation and mutual respect.

The new attitude that we hope for is no longer like a sneaky poker game where all you care about is how many chips you get in the end. Instead, it is about being honest, calm and collaborative as opposed to manipulative, emotional and defensive.

Here are some good tips to assure that the lines of communication are open and “ready for business” when it comes to begin talking in depth with your contact:

Recognize how your contact is most comfortable communicating

Instead of rushing in immediately with your “wish-list” of needs, take some time to understand how the person across from you is most comfortable communicating. Does he speak slowly and needs to go through details methodically? Does she respond better to a timed agenda rather than just an open-ended meeting? Does he have a short attention span and need a quick executive summary upfront and then the details afterwards?

Know your own style of communicating and begin to flex towards theirs

Learn to communicate authentically by not changing who you are but by “flexing” towards their style. You may want to abbreviate discussing the process of negotiation with a results-driven individual who may want to have you voice your point of view right away. Or for the more detail oriented person you may want to send an outline of key points to cover before your actual interface so they do not feel pressured to arrive at decisions “on the spot”

Strive for active listening skills

If you both are truly committed to reaching a consensus, have faith in the process you mutually establish. Don’t be concerned that you won’t have enough “air time” and resist interrupting. Feel free to take notes while your contact is elaborating his or her point of view. In the same vein, play back what they have said to make sure you have both heard and understood their words. After they have finished, you should open up dialogue for key points. Use language such as “tell me more about what you just said about X” or “I am intrigued by why you took the stance you did…could you tell me how you arrived at that conclusion?”

Watch the webinar on-demand: The Chakra of Successful Negotiations   

Brad Agry
About the Author
Brad Agry

Bradford Agry is Founding Principal of CareerTeam Partners, a New York City career management consulting firm. Agry works with individuals in industries ranging from finance to marketing to communications helping them identify and actualize career transitions.

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