Negotiation Skills for Project Managers

Learn how to analyse negotiation styles and turn conflict into an advantage.

Course Overview

Negotiation is an invaluable skill for any project manager. Not only do you negotiate agreements with vendors and contractors, but also you must effectively negotiate with stakeholders, customers, and team members throughout the life of a project. This three-day highly interactive experience covers the dynamics, processes, and techniques of internal and external negotiation situations faced by project managers.

Short on lecture and long on practice, this course provides participants the opportunity to experience one-on-one negotiation. You will learn how to analyse your own and the other party’s negotiation style, diffuse confl ict and turn it into an advantage, and negotiate more effectively. You will also learn how to negotiate for effi cient cost and schedule performance and achieve successful results on time. You’ll receive coaching and feedback from the instructor and the other participants.

Course Topics

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1. Negotiation in the Project Environment
   1. Stakeholder Analysis
   2. Negotiating with key stakeholders
   3. Negotiating and the triple constraint
   4. Issues throughout the project lifecycle
2. Natural Tendencies in Negotiation
   1. Negotiating from positions
   2. Transformation of goals
   3. Destroying trust
   4. Need to win
   5. Emotional reaction
3. Developing the Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)
   1. Defining BATNA
   2. Determining the need to negotiate
   3. Strengthening the BATNA
   4. Using BATNA
   5. The other party’s BATNA
4. The Two Major Schools of Negotiation: Competitive Negotiation
   1. Determining primary and secondary issues
   2. Establishing maximum and minimum positions
   3. Defining the conflict range
   4. Assessing the negotiation range
5. Understanding and Developing Your Negotiation Style
   1. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) and communication style
   2. Personality preferences and style
   3. Temperament Theory and collaboration
6. Collaborative Negotiation: Creating Win-Win by Exploring Differences
   1. Clarifying interests
   2. Developing options
   3. Establishing Criteria
7. Negotiating Within the Team
   1. Identifying interests
   2. Defining the process
   3. Determining roles
8. Negotiating Between Teams
   1. Establishing an approach
   2. Monitoring the dialogue
   3. Clarifying all interests
9. Preparing to Negotiate Your Project
   1. Analysing your situation
   2. Predicting the other party’s situation
10. Dealing with Conflict in Negotiation
    1. Insights from MBTI®
    2. Sequence of strengths as conflict escalates
11. Breakthrough Strategies to Get Past “No”
    1. Managing emotional content
    2. Reframing vs. reacting
    3. Building a golden bridge
    4. Educating vs. escalating
12. Maintaining and Building Your New Skills
    1. Personal Action Plan
    2. Other useful strategies for long-term gains