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Overview

A highly practical two-day programme, with a strong emphasis on practical exercises, for all those involved in contract negotiation.

Training objectives

This course will help the participants to:
  • Appreciate the importance of thorough preparation for negotiations
  • Recognise the different negotiating styles and learn how to deal with them
  • Match appropriate style with bargaining position
  • Understand their preferred styles and learn how to build on them
  • Master a range of negotiation tactics
  • Practice their new skills in a safe setting before using them in a real negotiation

Audience

This is the ideal programme for teams who are regularly involved in commercial and contract negotiations, including:
  • Commercial and contracts specialists
  • Project managers and engineers
  • Purchasing and procurement specialists

Format

An inter-active two-day course with a strong emphasis on practical exercises. If required, a one-day version of this programme can be provided instead, although the learning would be significantly diminished without the exercises.

Special features

For maximum benefit from the course, we recommend that the trainer be given access to sample contracts and live projects on which to base the case studies and practical exercises.

The expert trainer

To be announced.

Course outline

  1. Preparation
    • Settlement zones
      – Closing the gap between the parties to get a ‘win-win’ outcome and to ‘close the deal’
      – Preparation of what alternatives / variables exist and can be offered as a follow-up to the initial offer, if the customer rejects the initial offer or proposes a counter-offer
      – Follow-through of logic / justification of why your initial offer or counter-offer is a ‘win-win’ and preferable to the customer’s best realistic alternative
    • Settlement zones exercise using sample contract provided by client
  2. Different negotiation styles
    • Styles
      – Bargaining
      – Logic
      – Emotion
      – Threat
      – Acceptance
      – Compromise
    • Matching style to bargaining position
    • Co-operative v competitive styles
    • Styles reflecting the type of on-going relationship, long-term or short-term
    • Individual questionnaire identifying each delegate’s default negotiation style
  3. Good house-keeping
    • Power of attorney / establishing authority of individuals
    • Keeping the negotiation open and ‘subject to contract’
    • Purpose of ‘heads of agreement’
    • Establishing the confidentiality of negotiation
    • Opening the negotiation
    • Confidence
    • Moving forward
    • Clarity / summarising / minutes
  4. Tactics
    • Listening
      – ‘Tinkerbell’ capability
      – Absorbing new information received and reflecting it within offers and counter-offers proposed
    • Asking probing questions
    • Answering questions – avoidance tactics
    • Reducing aspirations
    • Body language and non-verbal communication
    • Interpersonal skills and professionalism
    • Counter disruptive tactics
    • Challenging the other party in a non-aggressive manner
    • Respecting the other party; ensuring they do not lose face
    • Use of silence as a tactic
    • Deadlock
  5. Case study
    • Negotiation exercise using sample contract provided by client