Our View on Negotiations
Negotiations often evoke negative associations: we tend to think of bargaining, car dealers and squeezing the most out of everything. However, one can also take a broader perspective: a negotiation is a communication process through which participants try to reach an agreement that serves the interests of persons/ parties involved.
If you look at it that way, as we do, then we negotiate every day. Negotiations are everywhere. In work situations when creating partnerships, managing teams, working together in (complex) projects, in conflicts and stalemates and in private life.
Why should you improve your negotiation skills?
We live in a chaotic, fast and ever-changing world. Organisational structures become flatter, projects increase in terms of size and complexity, just like the various interests and risks involved. If you don't know how to deal with this, you'll feel more and more insercure. How can you keep the conversation going with all parties involves in a constructive and respectable manner while serving your own interests and overcoming conflicts? The answer: by negotiating well. 9 out of 10 (business) decisions are the result of a negotiation process. Negotiations are the new way of coming to decisions efficiently and effectively.
Our Negotiation Workshops
We may call ourselves the Dutch negotiation specialists for over 30 years already, and have educated thousands of professionals (or:people) to be agile negotiators. We teach you to prepare and execute any negotiation well. By practicing real-life cases during our trainings you'll learn:
Hone your approach tactically and strategically
Deepen your negotiation skills and ability to get people along towards good decisions and creative deals.
Dealing with negotiation tricks in a smart and agile way.
Harvard Method
At the foundation of all our trainings is the Harvard Method, which we have brought to The Netherlands more than 30 years ago. Have you ever read the book Getting to Yes by William Ury? This manner of negotiations based on principles turns all parties involved into problem solvers instead of opponents. We extended this approach/method to end up with seven principles that are the basis of our trainings. By using these you will learn to prepare well for any negotiation, to shape and steer its process actively and to accelerate your learning.
Separate the people from the problem / issue at hand
Build up the trust and provide verify-ability
Focus on interests (of all parties); not on positions
Think up various options first together before deciding which option serves all interests best
Use objective criteria to decide upon a fair distribution of the negotiation outcomes
Know your BATNA and be aware of theirs
Bring all guides together and feel responsible for the structure and the process.
Who can benefit from our trainings?
We have lots of experience with engineers, technicians, consultants, specialists and researchers. Also we train many accountmanagers, business developers and project managers in IT, financial services, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and construction industries. We also work for public organisations, public-private partnerships and NGOs. Please click here for an overview of our recent/current clients. Have a look at an hoverview of recent clients.
Open Registrations
We offer a range of negotiation workshops via open registration. This way you'll not only learn from your own practical experience, but also from your fellow group members with experience in all kinds of organisations. Be inspired by new ideas and thoughts and connect with interesting people. Click here for a complete overview of our open registration workshops.
