Often built upon a belief that all negotiations are the same, little - if any, recognition is given to the specific negotiation demands of the business world. Participants in these courses often leave feeling like it has been useful to learn about some best tactical approaches but they miss a more holistic, strategic approach to negotiations. I believe it is important to get the best of both worlds. That is, it is very important that the materials used in the negotiation skills workshop that you will be attending is based both on sound academic foundations as well as being very practical in nature.

The academic institutions invest a lot of time and money in research and the insights gained from this research is worth its weight in gold when you apply them correctly in a business negotiation environment. While most negotiation training courses will make use of negotiation simulations to demonstrate key concepts & best practices, this is of limited use to you if you are not also provided with a benchmarked view of your individual negotiation capability. This means that you can see how your own negotiation preferences and competencies measure up against the negotiaton preferences and competencies of others like you. When you can see a benchmarked view of your negotiation capability then you have a clear view of exactly where to focus your continuing negotiation skills development efforts.

Simplistic Approach to a Complex Subject

Some providers approach negotiation from a linear perspective, advocating a simplistic '3 step' or '8 step' process to all negotiations. It is always good to have a simple approach but you should beware that you don't follow a simplistic approach. I often like to compare the art & science of business negotiation to the game of golf. Like golf, negotiation is complex. If you were asked to hit two shots in succession off a golf tee, it is very unlikely that the resuls of both shots will be exactly the same outcome with the ball ending up in exactly the same spot. This is due to the fact that there are many factors influencing the outcome of the shot.

Golf is one of the few games where the world's best players only end up winning a few times every year - largely due to the complexity of the game. To be a complete golfer, one needs to have mastered all the elements of the game. You should have a strong 'long game', 'short game', putting ability and the skill to get yourself out of trouble. Additionally, you must have the ability to perform under extreme pressure.   

It is therefore not useful to approach golf (or negotiation) as something that is linear and sequential and that only ever involves repeating the same simplistic '3 step' or '8 step' approach. That would be like saying that to be successful in golf, you only ever have to do the same 3 things or the same 8 things sequentially to be successful. This is exactly what many providers do when they teach you negotiation skills. They advocate that you should follow the same process every time that you negotiate rather than providing you with an overall blueprint for successful negotiations. This kind of linear, simplistic approach to business negotiation will empower you to survive in simple, one dimensional negotiations but will leave you seriously exposed in multi-party, multi-issue and complex negotiations.

It is far better to follow a check list approach to negotiation preparation where your check list is effectively a blueprint of negotiation best and leading practices. Like in golf, to be successful in business negotiations, you need to master all the elements that constitute best and leading practice in the field of business negotiations.

Questions to Ask Potential Negotiation Skills Training Providers 

Be sure to ask the providers you are considering these questions:

What is your company's core competency?

It is important to know what their core competency is. There are many companies out there providing training courses ranging from 'How to Use PowerPoint' to 'How to Negotiate'. My recommendation would be that you work with specialists in business negotiation, not specialists in training services.

Describe the other delegates that are attending this course?

Birds of a feather, flock together. Ask for a description of the other delegates attending the course. This will give you a very good idea of the target group for the course that you are considering.

Who will be leading this course - can you see their biography?

Do they have established track records as negotiators in their own right or are they professional trainers with negotiation skills as one product in their portfolio alongside other topics?

What happens after the training workshop?

This is probably the most important question. How will they ensure that behaviourial change is reinforced after the workshop? What tools are you equipped with to ensure ease of application of your new skills?