Secret Negotiation Theatrics That Make You Stronger

In a negotiation, you can use theatrics to appear stronger or project the appropriate image of a secret persona. The theatrics you engage in will determine the flow of the negotiation. Continue reading to discover how you can project the image of different characters to enhance your negotiation efforts and outcomes … action!

Planning:

As is the case with any play or movie, you have to outline what scenes will occur and the order in which they’ll appear. So is the case in a negotiation. You have to plan the strategies you’ll utilize, the rebuttals you’ll make to offers, and how you’ll respond to offers presented to you. Suffice it to say, the better prepared you are to address the scenes that might play out, the better prepared you’ll be at producing a blockbuster negotiation.

Purpose:

Purpose, in this case, is determining the role you’ll project and knowing the reason why you’re doing so; different styles and perceptions of a negotiator determines how others will react and interact with you. You should always match your persona to the role you’re playing in a negotiation (e.g. someone that doesn’t need the deal might project a ‘no-care’ attitude about the outcome).

Positioning:

When it comes to positioning, how will you cast your characters? Will you be the leading person, the one capable of making the final   decisions? If so, you should not be at the negotiation table; you always want to leave yourself an ‘out’ by having to refer to a higher authority (i.e. someone that you have to consult to okay the final decision). So, how will you position and cast your characters? You’ll need a leading person, supporting casts, a possible villain or at least   an adversary, and extras; the latter can be in the form of real or   imaginary people that are not at the negotiation table that you create. Once you’ve determined your cast of characters, then you have to determine when they’ll be presented in your negotiation. Note: Some of your characters can be you, posed as having different demeanors, based on what’s appropriate for the situation at hand.

Posture:

Have you observed the impact that someone has based on the way she carries herself? Her impact affects the perception of others? Such is the case with the characters you project in your negotiation. If you present your request and demands in a halfhearted manner, they’ll lack the vigor of commitment. The opposing negotiator won’t take you serious and you’ll have a problem convincing him when you are serious.

In your negotiation, display the degree of swagger in your character required to match the persona you’re projecting. If the scene calls for a strong character display, don’t offer one that’s wimpy. From the time you enter the negotiation, begin to position your characters with the proper posture they’ll need to be convincing as to who and what they represent.

If you look at your negotiation as though it was a movie and you were the producer, you can now see the pieces you’d need to create and present to have an award winning production.

In the future, try thinking of your negotiation as a movie and assemble your characters as mentioned above. By doing so, you’ll create a different and possibly new way to look at negotiations, which could lead to a new sense of creativity that enhances your outcomes … and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

Greg Williams

Original Article