Boulden Management Consultants

training by design
Course: Advanced Negotiation Skills
Overview

Learning objectives

This programme provides practical help to enable professional people

to grasp the mindset of an expert negotiator and appreciate the inner
game of beliefs and values as they apply to negotiations. The training is
based on applying Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques to
the negotiation process and during the course discoveries will be
made as to how to consistently achieve a win-win situation in
negotiations. It will also build self-confidence when conducting a faceto-face meeting.The course will give those attending a competitive
edge whilst maintaining and building positive relationships.
By attending this two-day highly interactive course you will:

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Understand how your beliefs and values can affect your ability to negotiate
effectively
Explore the nature of the different types of negotiation from Lose/Lose to
Collaboration
Gain a toolbox of 22 influencing skills that will mean that you can achieve
consistently good results in your negotiations
Learn a seven step planning process so that you will be prepared to handle what
the other party may propose
Discover how to control the actual face to face negotiation using the Deal
Making Meeting Process

Feedback

email: bmc@Boulden.net

Who should attend?

The basis of the feedback is peer review based upon assessment using
a BMC assessment checklist. Completing the BMC assessment
checklists is not only valuable to the people involved in a given case
study, it also helps those completing them to gain an in-depth
understanding of the building blocks that make up an excellent
negotiation meeting.
People with some experience of negotiation who
wish to further develop their skills.

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training by design
Day one: Advanced Negotiation Skills
The inner game of
Negotiation

The phrase the inner game is a term borrowed from sports psychology. It is a reference to
the fact that what is going on inside a persons head (their state of mind) is crucial to good
performance. Here we consider the role perception and beliefs of expert negotiators.

Examining your current beliefs

Reviewing expert beliefs

Making changes that you feel are appropriate for you

Pairs exercise:

Influencing skills
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Creating rapport

applying the Future Pacing technique.

The ability to influence and persuade is the key competency of advanced negotiators. Here we
cover twenty-two influencing tools grouped into five sets or topics. Mastery of this skills
toolbox, which is based on NLP (Neuro linguistic programming) concepts, allows expert
negotiators to conduct face-to-face meetings with elegance and precision.

Building a sense of trust and partnership with prospective clients. Gaining a psychological
connection with other people.

Matching and leading body language

Matching and leading values

Matching and leading jargon

Matching and leading on sensory based language

Group exercise: practising the pacing and leading technique

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Effective listening

Paying close attention to the prospects non-verbal behaviour and

tuning in to the underlying message that is being transmitted.

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Notice non-verbal behaviour

Calibration

Position perception

Pairs exercise:

developing listening skills

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training by design
Day one: Advanced Negotiation Skills
Needs definition

This set of tools is concerned with asking high quality questions that map out precisely the
other partys needs and requirements.

The logical levels concept

Moving up logical levels

Moving down logical levels

Softners

Pairs exercise:

Yes sets

Building a history of agreement into the conversation so that the other person gets into the
habit of agreeing with you.These techniques help to generate a positive tone to the whole of
the negotiation meeting, from the initial remarks to signing off on the deal.

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Summarising

Reframing

Behaviour labelling

Conditional close

Pairs exercise:

Sending positive messages

conducting logical levels interviews

handling objections with reframing

Using assertive tools combined with NLP techniques to put your point of view in a firm,
persuasive, courteous manner. In this section we also cover methods for dealing
with hostile and aggressive behaviour.

email: bmc@Boulden.net
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Dealing with one point at a time

Positive language

Three step technique

Feel, felt, found technique

Assertive broken record

Fogging

Embedded commands

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training by design
Day two: Advanced Negotiation Skills
The BMC A-G Negotiation
Planning process

Looking at the way in which the 22 tools can be used in order to plan for a
negotiation session.
The planning process involves setting out the goals for the negotiation, gathering some facts
(what we call building a database) and then analysing the data to uncover key issues. Once this
has been done specific targets can be set and the plan for the face to face meeting developed.
The seven stages of planning the negotiation that we use at BMC are: -

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Agree outcomes

Build a database

Chart logical levels

Determine common ground

Examine Batnas (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement)

Formulate possible trades

Generate the settlement range

Case study:

Setting the scene

planning a negotiation

This aspect of the course involves covering all the administrative arrangements that relate to
the negotiation meeting. Namely;

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Agreeing the agenda for the meeting

Considering our opening position

Planning to meet peoples expectations

Developing a timetable

Briefing the team

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training by design
Day two: Advanced Negotiation Skills
The BMC Deal Making
Meeting Process

To run the actual face-to-face meeting we begin by agreeing the outcome for the negotiation
and what topics should be covered. We then explore what importance each side attaches to
each topic, what specifically they are trying to achieve and what they are prepared to trade in
order to get what they want.The next step is to make proposals as to how agreement can be
reached. Once an acceptable proposal has been put on the table we close the negotiation,
record outcomes and monitor the results over time.
The four steps of the face-to-face meeting process are described by a mnemonic, where each
letter in the key word DEAL represents a stage in the meeting:

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Draw the logical levels diagram

(using the logical levels system explore the topics for discussion)

Explore possible deals (make proposals and give & receive concessions)

Agree the closing position

(agree the formal contract and get the main points of the agreement in writing)

Look at the actual results (monitor how the contract is actually implemented over time)

Case study:

Breaking Deadlocks

Reviewing some of the tools that we can use to regain momentum if the conversation
becomes stuck or bogged down on a particular issue. Including:

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Chunk up chunk down

Negative consequences

Counter example

Time out

Car parking

Metaphor

Escalation

Arbitration

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Pairs exercise:
The contents of this course is for illustration
purposes only and is the copyright of
Boulden Management Consultants Ltd
Further information is available by contacting
email: bmc@Boulden.net
website: www.Boulden.net

conducting a negotiation

discussing how to apply the tools to real life issues.