Q & A Table of Contents
What is a Negotiation Specialist?
From: S.G., Trinidad
Question: I need a definition..can you please tell me what the job of a Negotiation Specialist entails. I really would like to know. Please email me if you have an answer, its for a project i'm working on. Your input would be greatly appreciated.
Response: I am very reluctant to suggest there exists a job with the formal title of Negotiation Specialist. There are people in a huge variety of jobs who need to negotiate all the time: people involved in sale, purchasing, leasing, human resources, labour/management, team building, budget decision-making, healthcare professionals, insurance adjustors, lawyers, real estate agents -- the list is virtually endless. As individuals, people in jobs requiring negotiation may develop sufficient expertise or skill to be thought of as excellent negotiators.
One might argue that folks like me who provide consultation and training to people and companies in how to enhance their negotiation skills might be called Negotiation Specialists. In that case, the work I do, like that of other people engaged in the same effort, is to help people develop their own skills. Sometimes my professional colleagues or I will be called into a situation by a company or by an individual to provide consultation or other assistance in helping them work through a particularly challenging negotiation transaction. Many lawyers do this as part of their practice.
In my case, I became a 'Negotiation Specialist' through two routes; my earlier careers in politics and commercial real estate gave me tremendous practice in the techniques of negotiation. That was supplemented by formal training at Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation. In effect, the courses I took at Harvard are like the programs we offer our clients through The Negotiation Skills Company(TNSC). TNSC's courses are designed based on our practical experience as well as the academic background
provided by the Harvard Courses.
I hope this answers your question.
Good luck and good negotiating, Steve.
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