Effective Communications & Negotiation Skills

  
Course Duration:3 Days
Course Fee: $1,595

Instructor Led, Facilitated Workshop
PDU Credits:    21 for eligible PMP's

Course Overview
In the ever changing world of IT, it is no longer acceptable to define yourself as either a 'techie' or a people person. The IT professional has to communicate in a variety of different settings to a wide range of audiences and still ensure all parties receive the correct information. A message, if not delivered desirably or effectively, can generate negative and unwanted feelings and cause unnecessary confusion. Likewise effective negotiation is a critical skill for any business professional today.  Yet, so often, negotiations turn into a battlefield with winners and losers, destroying long term relationships and business opportunities. This Course will enable the participants to understand how to communicate more effectively and understand the negotiation process, and to master vital skills and techniques to achieve win/win outcomes.

Key Benefits
This module will show you how to develop a more flexible communication style to ensure your ideas are heard and understood in all situations and participants will return to the workplace with insights, strategies and techniques to help develop a personal negotiating style which achieves success. 
This course is endorsed by IIBA™.

Who Should Attend
All are welcome.

Prerequisites
None

Course Contents
 
The first day and a half is dedicated to Effective Communications and the remaining day and a half is dedicated to Negotiation Skills
Overview

  • What is communication?
  • Characteristics of good communication
  • Virtues of a good communicator

Defining the Message

  • Establishing the objectives and goals
  • Determining the theme
  • Sequencing the message
  • Striving for clarity and brevity
  • Understanding sensitivity to organizational/individual impacts

Understanding your Audience

  • Determining the participants and roles
  • Understanding differences in thinking and communication styles
  • Establishing rapport
  • Influencing resolution without having authority

Communicating the Message

  • Defining the communication approach
    • Good vs. bad news
    • Uni- vs. bi-directional communication
    • Sending vs. eliciting information
  • Sending the message
    • Quantify the data
    • Analyze the options
    • Sequence the information
    • Describe the impacts
    • Summarize the message
  • Recognizing nonverbal indicators
    • Eye Contact
    • Body Language
    • Dress & Appearance
    • Self presentation
    • Listening actively

Handling Barriers

  • Recognizing potential breakdowns in communication
  • Dealing with problem people
  • Handling difficult situations
  • Choosing the right language
    • Avoid acronyms,  jargon, & buzzwords
    • Avoid “trouble” words
    • Use specific vs. ambiguous words
    • Use the language of the receiver
  • Having a backup plan (i.e., Plan “B”)

Confirming Message Receipt

  • Validating correct reception of the message
  • Getting to a collaborative understanding
  • Ending on a positive note

Workshops and Exercise Summary

  • Reporting bad news (car/bull)
  • Listening
  • Body language
  • Back to back communication
  • “Can you hear what I see?”
  • Assorted scenarios

Opening Exercise: Red/Blue Point Acquisition
Introduction

  • Exercise: Personal Negotiating Approach (10 questions)
  • Definition
  • Characteristics of good negotiators
  • Knowing when to (and not to) negotiate

Negotiating Approaches

  • Exercise: Crossing the Line
  • One Team…One Goal
  • Negotiation is not competition
  • Win/Win
  • Non-positional bargaining
  • Separating the people from the problem

Elements of Negotiation

  • Building a strategy & relationships
  • Exploring interests and options
  • Bargaining, proposing & closing
  • Exercise: Ugli Orange

Building a Strategy

  • Gathering and analyzing data
  • Developing a BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement)
  • What are you willing to loose?
  • Analyzing the other side’s position
  • Exercise: Strengths/Weakness Matrix

Building a relationship

  • Negotiation with different personalities
  • Exercise: Flip chart standoff
  • Understanding values and priorities
  • Building trust and developing rapport – on both sides!
  • Separating the person from the problem

Exploring Interests and Options

  • Identifying the underlying interests
  • Motivational factors
  • Creative problem solving techniques

Bargain and proposing

  • Techniques
  • Knowing when to walk away
  • Exercise: The Opera Singer
  • Exercise: Driving a Bargain: (Paul and Martin)

Closing

  • Gaining consensus
  • Confirming specifics of agreement
  • Silence doesn’t always mean consent
  • Exercise: Financial System