Q & A Table of Contents
What Are The Elements Of A Successful Negotiation Process
From: Jimmy, Dallas, Texas
Question: You stated that a successful negotiation was: when the parties to the negotiation reach an agreement to which they are both (or all) committed and which they will implement in full.
My question is what are the key attributes/elements necessary to achieve a successful negotiation?
Response: The elements of a successful negotiation are not the same every time. While an airplane pilot must always get the right answers to a whole series of questions before the plane can take off, a successful negotiator knows that every situation has its own peculiarities, even if s/he is negotiating with the same folks day after day.
However there are eight elements of the negotiation process that do require attention: Understanding the priority of the relationship, Understanding the interests of the parties, Knowing your own -- and the other side's -- BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement), Being creative with bargaining chips, Behaving fairly, Knowing whether commitment has been achieved and how to monitor implementation during the life of the agreement, Communicating useful information -- using one's ears more than one's mouth, and Preparing adequately to understand the subject matter, the parties, and the process.
Hope this helps,
Steve
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