Thoughts and Insights by Michael Gregory

Preparing for a Negotiation with Difficult People

We all negotiate with others. Sometimes the other party can be very difficult to work with. Our best option may to avoid that negotiation and go elsewhere, but sometimes that is not an option. This article addresses this issue.

How to Manage Satisfaction with Your Counterpart in a Negotiation

In a negotiation one of the keys to a successful negotiation is managing your counterpart’s expectations.  We would all like to have a win – win negotiation, but part of that is managing your counterpart’s expectations.   In the end what were their expectations of the outcome?  What happens when they shared their results with others?  How was the overall experience with you and the negotiation?  This article will discuss each of these items. Perceptions matter, not just the results.

Here Are Five Tips to Improve Your Negotiation Skills

When we think about training and negotiation this may conjure up negative feelings. I want to promote that this can be fun and at the same time all of us can improve our negotiating skills. Not everyone can be a great negotiator, but we all can improve. Let's take a positive approach to negotiations and see what happens!

What is an Anchor in a Negotiation Why Does It Matter?

In a negotiation when one party throws out a number that is anchoring your price. You could do it or the other party could do it, but once a number has been offered that tends to be an anchor as a starting point for negotiations. What are the implications?

Visualize Holes in Your Negotiations

Do you know the saying “Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance”? The same holds true for negotiations. Some plan to come to a meeting and hear what the other side has to say reacting to the offer of the other side. What happens if you run through “what if” scenarios? Do you know your holes in your approach?

Closing the deal – What is the impact on the next one?

It has been shown that how we feel at the end of one negotiation can have a direct impact on the next negotiation whether the negotiation ended positively or negatively.  We tend to be overly positive in our own abilities and we tend to let out emotions carry over into the next situation.  The question is how can we address this in the next negotiation?

Want to know how to turn a crises with another party into a collaboration?

This article addresses how to turn a crises into a collaboration. We can learn from hostage negotiators and their success rate is phenomenal. So what can you do to help yourself when you feel like you are in a crises with someone else?

Ten Steps for an Interest-Based Resolution

From the book Peaceful Resolutions a summary of one of the steps to resolving conflict is a free six sided pocket guide (that fits in your pocket).  One of the six sides of the tri-fold pocket guide offers Ten Steps for an Interest-Based Resolution.  This 10 step summary process is elaborated on in this text. 

What are the right kind of questions to ask in a negotiation?

In a negotiation each party enters into the negotiation with a position and series of interests. How we explore those interests goes a long way towards reaching a mutually acceptable alternative with the other party. Asking key questions appropriately makes a real difference in the outcome.

How the Science of a Meaningful Life Can Impact Your Vocation

As we start a new year, it pays to reflect on how we make a difference in our vocation and what we may want to do differently with the start of this new year.  This article explains how.