Enhancement on Negotiation & Dispute Resolutions Skills in the Public Sector

Course Overview:

The ability to be able to negotiate effectively is a critical competency in both work and life situations. An effective negotiator will draw upon a range of communication and interpersonal skills as well as focus on issues of the process, planning, and objective setting.

Typically, negotiations occur at both the individual and team levels internally within peer groups and with employees as well as externally with suppliers and customers. Closely associated with the negotiation process is the possibility of disagreement and dispute conflict; so it is appropriate to consider how best to reduce the risk of disputes and how to resolve them if they do occur.

This course will cover the key stages of negotiation, consider how disputes arise and provide the delegates with an effective toolbox of skills to enable them to follow a structured process. The participants will be introduced to different negotiation styles and tactics and learn how to recognize and counter them. There will be an opportunity for participants to carry out a self-assessment of their skills over the whole range of the negotiation topic and they will consider the differences between negotiating individually or as part of a team.

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, the participants will be able to:

Understand the different phases of the negotiation process
Recognize the significance of planning and objective setting
Achieve ‘win-win’ outcomes within the bargaining process
Engage in negotiations with confidence
Identify the causes of disagreements & disputes
Understand the significance of disputes and the long-term impact they can have on relationships
Identify and use strategies to resolve the causes of disputes, rather than deal with symptoms
Be sensitive to situations and issues likely to result in disputes
Have confidence in confronting and managing disputes

Course Coverage:

Topic 1: Fundamentals of Negotiation:

Negotiation Defined
Disputes and the need for Resolution
Place of negotiation in the contractual resolution process
The commercial impact of the breakdown of negotiations
Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)
The four-phase process of negotiation:
Preparation
Discussion
Proposal
Bargain & Close

Topic 2: The Negotiator’s Toolbox:

Preparation:
Negotiating position setting
Prioritization
Entry & exit points
Information needs
Team negotiation - roles
Discussion:
Conducive environment
Relationship building
Information acquisition
Forms of questions - open, closed, comparative
Proposal:
The conditional proposal - “If/then…”
Unconditional proposals – “ Thank & Bank”
Degrees of freedom
Bargain and Close:
Trading up and Trading down
Concessions
Recording the outcome

Topic 3: Negotiating Styles, Tactics and Ploys:

Cultural & international issues
Red, Purple & Blue negotiators
Non-verbal communication
Interpretation of Signals – arms, legs, and eyes
What is in a handshake?
Spatial zones and spatial awareness
Make time for your friend
Silence as a tactic and how to counter it
Ploys as “power plays” and how to counter

Topic 4: Personal Fitness and Dealing with Difficult Negotiations:

Interests, positions and escalation
Push/pull
Good guy/bad guy
Negotiator as a Mediator
Team negotiations
Proposals and persuasion
What is In It for me (the WIIFM SOLUTION?)
Personal skills fitness check

Topic 5: Putting it All into Practice:

Negotiation case study
Team allocation and simulation exercise
Analysis of performance
The Do’s and Don’ts of Negotiating
Improving what we do – action planning

Targeted Groups:

Managers, Supervisors, and Team Leaders
HR Professionals
Also, the course is suitable for all the staff in all departments and managerial levels