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Negotiations

Negotiation Workshops

Negotiation is a critical skill. Effective negotiation helps us to persuade and influence others. Whether with clients, customers, suppliers, co-workers, friends, or family, we all negotiate every day. Improving the way we negotiate makes us more successful in both our professional and personal lives.

Drawing on best practices from our work with the Harvard Negotiation Project, Harvard Law School, and countless actual negotiation experiences, we provide courses which provide effective and efficient negotiation skill building.

Learning or improving negotiation skills requires experiential learning - that is learning by doing. In addition to providing explanations of the most successful negotiation techniques, we offer case studies, exercises, video-taping, and one-on-one feedback. We tailor our courses to our clients’ needs.

A standard negotiation course is 2 days, but we will accommodate other client needs for shorter or longer versions of the course. The amount of practice and feedback given depends on the length of the course and the number of participants. Download our Negotiation Preparation Form.

We also have extensive international experience. We can provide courses in French, Spanish, and German. Other languages may be available through our international network of associates.

In addition to our standard negotiation courses, we offer a specialty course in Negotiation for Lawyers.

Negotiation Consulting

Entering a new business deal? Getting ready to sign an important contract? Striving to settle a dispute without further expense and damage to relationships? We can help you achieve success and save you money!

Preparation is key to successful negotiations. Clients have often asked for assistance with specific upcoming negotiations. We will walk individuals or groups through a systematic preparation process. We will help you clarify your goals, understand and improve your weaknesses, and anticipate the actions and reactions of the other side. You will be thoroughly prepared and organized, having thought carefully through the negotiation process and various options. We will give you the tools and the confidence to achieve successful agreements.

Managing Difficult Conversations

Giving or getting negative performance feedback. Asking for a raise. Telling someone they won't get the assignment they wanted. Saying "no" to a client or friend. Asking for what you really want.

Whatever the context, each of us has conversations that we find very uncomfortable and that we think we don't handle as well as we should. These conversations are often filled with strong opinions and emotions. We may choose to avoid these conversations, but that doesn't solve the problems - it often makes them worse.

Handling challenging conversations well is critical for solving problems, getting things done, and building good relationships. In this workshop, we present a clear framework for managing these conversations more effectively, and then work with the framework extensively. Through exercises, case studies, and thorough discussions we explore the common elements of difficult conversations and practice the best way to manage these conversations for better results and less stress.

Mediation

Mediation can resolve disputes with less expense, less stress, and better results. The mediation process has gained support and praise from those who use it. Disputes that would become very bitter and expensive if played out through the normal litigation process can be resolved with greater control by the parties and with less cost. Resolving disputes before they even enter the legal system can save money, time and even save relationships.

Our mediators have extensive experience in a wide variety of mediations - including employment, contracts, business, construction defect, family and environmental. We provide highly skilled mediators, or help provide you with an advocate to advise you through the mediation process.

Facilitation

Organizational planning sessions and workshops are an opportunity to develop and clarify strategic plans, share information and gain new insights, build understanding and commitment, and improve communication. Different points of view and areas of expertise, as well as different roles and expectations, frequently make it difficult to achieve productive dialogue. Using an outside neutral facilitator can help overcome these challenges.

An experienced professional facilitator can ensure objective and efficient meetings. Working closely with the client, we can help with both planning for and conducting effective sessions. Services include:

Issue identification
Clarification of objectives
Identification of potential obstacles and concerns
Process and agenda design to meet objectives
Efficient facilitation and management of meetings
Follow-up and specific action planning

Diversity Management

Effective management of differences adds creativity and innovation to our organization.

Human differences can lead to conflict - or result in creativity and resilience. Capitalizing on the positive potential of diversity requires creation of an environment that encourages healthy, positive interaction between the members of the organization.

The first step in tapping the power of diversity is to prevent the conflict which can result from different expectations about proper conduct and interaction. We can provide training on prevention of sexual harassment and other improper treatment of others which is toxic to organizations. The cost effective way to prevent harassment and conflict is to make the rules and reasons for the rules clear and easy to understand. The key is doing this without alienating or offending participants in the training. Through interactive, professional, respectful exercises and discussions we clarify what behavior is appropriate, what behavior is inappropriate and unlawful, and what to do if you experience or witness harassment in the workplace.