The Negotiation Skills Company -- Newsletter February 1998
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THEME SONG
When you think about your Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA), remember the words to Kenny Rogers' song, "The Gambler":
"You've got to know when to hold 'em,
Know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away,
Know when to run."
Understanding our BATNA involves measuring our interests, the means available to achieve them, and knowing whether or when 'retiring' from the negotiation is a good idea. After all, as the Rolling Stones sang, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need." What you WANT is your POSITION, what you NEED is your INTEREST.
TNSC ON THE WEB
We continue receiving inquiries and questions from all over the world. If you haven't done so recently, you may want to revisit 'www.negotiationskills.com' to see what's new, particularly on the TNSC HELPLINE. The questions people send in are fascinating and varied.
TNSC ON THE MOVE
Actually our office remains in the same place, but as we mentioned in last summer's newsletter, our telephone and fax numbers have got new area codes. The phone is +1 978 927 6775 and the fax is +1 978 921 4447.
In January we have plans to expand our virtual office, adding staff who will be part-time in the TNSC office and part-time at home.
OK, SO HAS TNSC REALLY BEEN MOVING AROUND?
We provide consulting and training at our clients' sites, and that keeps us racking up the frequent flyer miles. During the first two weeks of November, Steve presented programs in Cleveland, Ohio for the Dively Center at Case Western Reserve University; San Francisco, California for INC. Magazine; Jouy-en-Josas, France for Groupe HEC; and Tunbridge Wells, England for British Telecoms. In fourteen days he travelled 15,000 miles/24,000 kilometers.
NEW ACADEMIC TITLES FOR STEVE COHEN
Since the last newsletter was sent, he has been named Visiting Associate Professor at both the University of New Hampshire in the United States and Groupe HEC (the top-ranked business school in France), near Versailles.
INTERESTING RECENT NEGOTIATIONS
For some reason, family matters have come over the transom several times recently. In one case, a commercial client and Steve spent a large proportion of a business meeting discussing the complications of negotiating with his sixteen-year-old son. In another situation, the issue under discussion was the proper resting place of someone's cremated ashes. Each situation gave the parties reason to focus on the relative importance of RELATIONSHIP as a long-term issue as it impacts their INTERESTS in the outcome of the negotiation.
TNSC PRODUCT LINE EXPANDS
We have added two new programs to our list of offerings: Both our one-day booster shot program, "Fire Drill," and our three-day Advanced Negotiation program are currently offered only to alumni of "Fighting Fires Without Burning Bridges". Steve Cohen is also expanding his presentation schedule as a speaker on negotiation skills, and as always TNSC is available for individual coaching, a service which has proven invaluable to some of our clients.
For people who have not met Steve Cohen, we would be happy to lend out our five minute introductory videotape, which is available in NTSC, PAL and SECAM formats. (Please specify correct format for your country, i.e. NTSC for US) Our two audiotapes and the popular booklet 'The Fine Art of Negotiating' are also available through the website.
SIGNING OFF
We enjoy hearing about your experiences using interest-based negotiation. In our last newsletter, we failed to ask permission to include such stories in future newsletters. So let us know if it is okay to share your stories.
Happy New Year to all. And may all your negotiations be wise, efficient, and durable.
Cordially,
Steve Cohen & Felicity Barber
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