BRIEFING ABOUT NEGOTIATION CLASSES

BRIEFING ABOUT NEGOTIATION CLASSES

         During the Negotiation classes we could learn in different and practical ways about negotiation style, approaches, processes, strategies, and much more. Beginning clarifying about the importance of building a good relationship between the parties, it was possible to get to know more about our own style as a negotiator. To build the relationship, we have learned that is necessary to, first of all, establish ground rules, assign research tasks, be the much clearly as possible in your conclusions. These are some of the ways to root a pleasant relationship; which is the best way to uncover your counterpart´s interests. The professor emphasized the importance of chit-chat with your partner, it softly engenders trust, and trust is crucial to achieving the actions one´s expectations from the other parties.

         To begin with, it is vital to the negotiator to recognize his partner style to define his own´s. The most effective strategy in negotiation is the one called ‘tit for tat’; which claims that you should start your negotiation being cooperative and after that, keep mirroring your partner´s position. At this point, we have learned about the negotiator´s dilemma. Which mixes two motives during the negotiation; to avoid exploitation by claiming value, and the second one is to maintain the relationship by creating value. Then, the ‘tip for tat’ strategy brings the idea that a negotiator should cooperate, in the first move, but start to retaliate if the other side keeps being competitive and trying to exploit the situation. Also, it is substantial that the negotiator, besides being flexible, being clear and consistent. So his approach will become more predictable, and it brings the other parties to a safe place to start to cooperate.

         It was elucidated about the styles of negotiators. They could be well-marked in some was as an avoiding negotiator. This is the one who Works in an unassertive and uncooperative way. Another is the accommodator, which is more cooperative than the first one. Then we have the competitor, which is the opposite of the accommodator because he is assertive and uncooperative. After, we have the compromiser, which Works in a balance between being assertive and cooperating. To sum up, we have the collaborator, which is both assertive and cooperative, and usually Works brainstorming new ways by exchanging more information, making multi-issue offers and creating more values. In this point, I conclude that the collaborative style is the most effective and challenged one because the negotiator will have to find out creative solutions, and be aware that creating values is the main key to find the shared interests between the parties. So, it could disclose easily the underlying positions of each one, which increase the success of an agreement.

        When focusing on the agreement, it is also necessary to determine and recognize the Batna and the Zopa. BATNA is an acronym used to defines the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement. While ZOPA is the one that means Zone of Possible Agreement. In a negotiation process is important to recover not just your own BATNA but also your counterpart´s. Between each partie´s Batna, will rest the zone of possible agreement. So, it helps the negotiator to achieves a satisfactory agreement to both parties.

        To the aim of obtaining a satisfactory settlement, the negotiator has to detect the frame of reference of his counterpart. The frame of reference is the perspective of the problem from each part, and it influences how much able the partie could become to take risks. To change the frame of reference of your partner is a process called anchoring. One way to do that is create an opening offer. There are some advantages to making or not an opening offer. If you make the first offer you can affect your opponent´s expectations about the negotiation, and he makes the first offer, there is the possibility of your counterpart sets the negotiation closer to your Batna point than you were expecting.

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