Negotiating I Feel That This Term Paper

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He who has learned to disagree without being disagreeable has discovered the most valuable secret of a diplomat." Robert Estabrook

To disagree in a polite, yet friendly manner, while appearing to agree, is perhaps the most effective way of being a diplomat in negotiation exchanges. In negotiations, the advantage is lost if one loses one's stance of calm, caring concern for the other party's interests. One will find success at the negotiating table when one seeks not to offend or insult, which is the result of losing this concern. Even if one does it unknowingly, one loses face, as well as a good portion of one's negotiating power. A principled negotiator will not lose face for any reason.

Jan Ulijn is a researcher of intercultural negotiations and states "Professional technical communicators increasingly find themselves in a negotiation situation where cultural differences have caused misperceptions." Ulijn proposes that with the globalization of the world economy, it is imperative that managers, both present and future, be sensitive to differences in cultures and seek to deal with the opposition on their own grounds. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is the most effective way of dealing with those of other cultures or genders who would take offense at, and perceive as slights, seemingly innocuous actions within one's own gender or culture. Being disagreeable without knowing it, is perhaps the height of miscommunication.

Information is a negotiator's greatest weapon." Victor Kiam

When approaching the negotiating table, one must observe everything. The platform upon which negotiations take place, the potential gains and losses anticipated by both sides, and the negotiators themselves. One must engage one's opponent as a partner and learn all there is to know about him or her. Are they a hard or soft bargainer? Do they play dirty tricks? What is their personal stake in winning? Only when one learns all of the driving motivations and interests of the person on the other side of the table, can one proceed with confidence.
As a detective approaches a mystery, one must obtain all clues available in order to find the solution to compromise and mutual agreement. In their book Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, Fisher, Ury and Patton state that one must separate the people from the problems and focus on interests, rather than positions. To find success in negotiations means that one conceptualizes the people on the other side of the table as known entities that can be dealt with separately from the negotiations, yet they are the conduit through which one is negotiating.

Works Cited

Fisher, Robert, Ury, William L., Patton, Bruce. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreements Without Giving In, 2nd Rep/Edition. New York: Penguin Books. 1991.

Shell, G. Richard. Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People, Penguin Books. 1999.

Ulijn, Jan M., O'Duell, Michael, and Robertson. Stephen A. "Teaching Business Plan Negotiation: Fostering Entrepreneurship Among Business and Engineering Students." Business Communication Quarterly. March, 2004. 67: 41-57.

G. Richard Shell, Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People, Penguin Books (1999), p. 6.

Jan M. Ulijn, Michael O'Duell, & Stephen A. Robertson, "Teaching Business Plan Negotiation: Fostering Entrepreneurship Among Business and Engineering Students," Business Communication Quarterly, March, 2004, 67: 41-57

Robert Fisher, William L. Ury, Bruce Patton, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In,….....

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