Unit-4
Persuasion and Negotiation Skills.
Q-1 What is a belief?
A-1 A belief is an idea that a person holds as being true.
A person can base a belief upon certainties (e.g. mathematical principles), probabilities or matters of faith.
A belief can come from different sources, including:
a person’s own experiences or experiments
the acceptance of cultural and societal norms (e.g. religion)
what other people say (e.g.education or mentoring).
A potential belief sits with the person until they accept it as truth, and adopt it as part of their individual belief system.
Each person evaluates and seeks sound reasons or evidence for these potential beliefs in their own way.
Once a person accepts a belief as a truth they are willing to defend, it can be said to form part of their belief system.
Q-2 What is a value?
A-2 Values are stable long-lasting beliefs about what is important to a person. They become standards by which people order their lives and make their choices.
A belief will develop into a value when the person’s commitment to it grows and they see it as being important.
It is possible to categorise beliefs into different types of values – examples include values that relate to happiness, wealth, career success or family.
A person must be able to articulate their values in order to make clear, rational, responsible and consistent decisions.
Q-3 What is an attitude?
A-3 Attitudes are the mental dispositions people have towards others and the current circumstances before making decisions that result in behaviour. People primarily form their attitudes from underlying values and beliefs.
However, factors which may not have been internalized as beliefs and values can still influence a person’s attitudes at the point of decision-making. Typical influences include the desire to please, political correctness, convenience, peer pressure, and psychological stressors.
Q-4 What Is Persuasion process?
A-4 Persuasion is convincing others to change their point of view, agree to a commitment, purchase a product or service, or take a course of action. Oral and written persuasive skills are valued in the workplace.
Persuasion is a communication process with a goal of influencing other people. A persuasive message is a communication strategy designed to change a listener's beliefs or behavior or to move a listener to action. A successful persuader tries to influence his/her audience by putting them in a mental state of conflict.
Persuasion is really a pretty simple process with four basic parts.
Q-5 Describe the steps to Persuasion.
A-5 True persuasion and influence means that you are able to convince others of the merit of your ideas without needing to bully or disrespect others. Instead, you learn to understand what a particular person needs to hear, believe, or see in order to be persuaded. Then you are able to deliver the missing information or communication in the way that the other person is actually able to hear it.
But what does it take to truly persuade someone? Below you can find one famous theory of how persuasion works.
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence of Persuasion Steps
In the 1930s, John Monroe developed a series of steps that he believed were the keys to persuading another individual. The steps are: Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization and Action.
Attention
To get someone to listen to your argument, you need to get their attention. You have about five seconds when talking to someone to engage their attention before they will lose focus. You can do this in several ways.
Use their name with a tone that conveys urgency or importance
Use emotion to demonstrate your position – smile, frown, be exasperated – whatever emotion conveys the strength of your position
Physically touch them if you have the level of rapport where this is appropriate. Put your hand on their forearm or shoulder to draw their attention.
Bring up a topic that you know they are passionate about and segue into your argument – but be sure there is a valid connection so you don’t seem to be changing the topic too quickly
Start with a statement that conveys the benefit of your position for the other person
Need
Once you have the other person’s attention, work to keep it. You can lose their attention as quickly as you have it if the other person doesn’t see the need to continue listening. To keep the other person’s attention, you have to be familiar with what is important to them. What do they want? What do they value? Why should they care about your side of the argument? Once you can answer these questions, you are ready to ‘hook’ the listener by focusing on what they care about.
Satisfaction
In this step, you describe to the listener how your position will meet the need you addressed in the previous step. Will your solution solve their problem? Will it prevent them from having to deal with additional problems? In other words, what benefits will the listener receive if they are persuaded by your argument. Or what negative consequences will they avoid?
Visualization
Visualization means that you can create a picture for the listener of what the situation will look like once they have been persuaded to accept your position or agree to your decision. Help them do this by describing what the world will be like ‘after’ they agree with you. For example, use language like:
Imagine what it will be like when you no longer have to…
Can you see how this would reduce your work load (solve your problem, increase your profits, etc.)
Picture yourself leaving work on time once we make this change (or some other way their life will improve once they agree with you)
Action
Once you sense that you are approaching agreement, you need to cement it by suggesting the next step or action that will put your solution in motion. Don’t wait – act as soon as you can so that the other person is not left stewing and thinking things over more (and perhaps changing their mind).
Q-6 Explain the term negotiation in your own words.
A-6 Negotiation is a method by which people settle differences. It is a process by which compromise or agreement is reached while avoiding argument and dispute. Negotiation skills can be of great benefit in resolving any differences that arise between you and others.
Negotiations occur frequently within the workplace and may occur between coworkers, departments or between an employee and employer. Professionals may negotiate contract terms, project timelines, compensation and more. Negotiations are both common and important, so it’s helpful to understand the types of negotiations you might encounter as well as how to improve your negotiation skills.
Q-7 Describe the process of negotiation skills.
A-7 Negotiation is a method by which people settle differences. It is a process by which compromise or agreement is reached while avoiding argument and dispute.
In any disagreement, individuals understandably aim to achieve the best possible outcome for their position (or perhaps an organisation they represent). However, the principles of fairness, seeking mutual benefit and maintaining a relationship are the keys to a successful outcome.
Specific forms of negotiation are used in many situations: international affairs, the legal system, government, industrial disputes or domestic relationships as examples. However, general negotiation skills can be learned and applied in a wide range of activities. Negotiation skills can be of great benefit in resolving any differences that arise between you and others.
Stages of Negotiation
In order to achieve a desirable outcome, it may be useful to follow a structured approach to negotiation. For example, in a work situation a meeting may need to be arranged in which all parties involved can come together.
The process of negotiation includes the following stages:
1. Preparation
Before any negotiation takes place, a decision needs to be taken as to when and where a meeting will take place to discuss the problem and who will attend. Setting a limited time-scale can also be helpful to prevent the disagreement continuing.
This stage involves ensuring all the pertinent facts of the situation are known in order to clarify your own position. In the work example above, this would include knowing the ‘rules’ of your organisation, to whom help is given, when help is not felt appropriate and the grounds for such refusals. Your organisation may well have policies to which you can refer in preparation for the negotiation.
Undertaking preparation before discussing the disagreement will help to avoid further conflict and unnecessarily wasting time during the meeting.
2. Discussion
During this stage, individuals or members of each side put forward the case as they see it, i.e. their understanding of the situation.
Key skills during this stage include questioning, listening and clarifying.
Sometimes it is helpful to take notes during the discussion stage to record all points put forward in case there is need for further clarification. It is extremely important to listen, as when disagreement takes place it is easy to make the mistake of saying too much and listening too little. Each side should have an equal opportunity to present their case.
3. Clarifying Goals
From the discussion, the goals, interests and viewpoints of both sides of the disagreement need to be clarified.
It is helpful to list these factors in order of priority. Through this clarification it is often possible to identify or establish some common ground. Clarification is an essential part of the negotiation process, without it misunderstandings are likely to occur which may cause problems and barriers to reaching a beneficial outcome.
4. Negotiate Towards a Win-Win Outcome
This stage focuses on what is termed a 'win-win' outcome where both sides feel they have gained something positive through the process of negotiation and both sides feel their point of view has been taken into consideration.
A win-win outcome is usually the best result. Although this may not always be possible, through negotiation, it should be the ultimate goal.
Suggestions of alternative strategies and compromises need to be considered at this point. Compromises are often positive alternatives which can often achieve greater benefit for all concerned compared to holding to the original positions.
5. Agreement
Agreement can be achieved once understanding of both sides’ viewpoints and interests have been considered.
It is essential to for everybody involved to keep an open mind in order to achieve an acceptable solution. Any agreement needs to be made perfectly clear so that both sides know what has been decided.
6. Implementing a Course of Action
From the agreement, a course of action has to be implemented to carry through the decision.
Q-8 Point out the qualities of a good negotiator.
A-8 Negotiating is an art, not a science. Below are common characteristics of strong negotiators.
1. Trustworthiness – A good reputation equips you with a lot of leverage.
2. Preparation – Be prepared with the facts, statistics and whatever you need to provide yourself with a competitive edge.
3. Manage Expectations – Under promise and over deliver.
4. Awareness – Manage your emotions and be aware of your counterpart’s style. Adapt to them to build comfort and trust. Treat others as they like to be treated.
5. Creativity – Sometimes consummating a deal entails changing its framework or demonstrating flexibility with its terms.
6. Compensate for Weaknesses – …but never expose them, and take advantage of those of your counterpart’s.
7. Assert Your Client’s Position – Assertively but not aggressively. Focus on your client’s needs and wants. When you are presented with a contrary position to that of your client’s, acknowledge it and move forward.
8. Win/Win (Collaborative Approach) – A destroyed party to negotiations has no reason to complete a deal.
9. Communication – You cannot communicate too often with a client.
10. Ask For More – Open negotiations with more than you expecting. You just might get it.
11. Practice – You should develop a feel for what to do in almost every negotiating experience.
12. Analyze Each Experience – The same issues often repeat themselves, especially in real estate. Learning from them will improve your skills. Remind yourself of the areas that you improved upon during your last negotiating experience, even if it didn’t result in a successful close.
Many people believe that great negotiators are “smooth” talkers. In actuality, the best negotiators are great listeners.
Q-9 Enumerate on the approaches to negotiation.
A-9 Approaches to Negotiation
There are four different approaches to negotiation and the outcome of the negotiation depends on the approach. The various approaches to negotiation are as follows:
This is also called competitive, zero sum, or claiming value approach. This approach is based on the premise that one person can win only at the expense of the other. It has the following characteristics:
(i) One side ‘wins’ and one side ‘loses’.
(ii) There are fixed resources to be divided so that the more one gets, the less the other gets.
(iii) One person’s interests oppose the other’s.
(iv) The dominant concern in this type of bargaining is usually to maximize one’s own interests.
(v) The dominant strategies in this mode include manipulation, forcing and withholding information.
Strategy to be used: In this mode, one seeks to gain advantage through concealing information, misleading or using manipulative actions. Of course, these methods have serious potential for negative consequences. Yet even in this type of negotiation, both sides must feel that at the end the outcome was the best that they could achieve and that it is worth accepting and supporting.
The basic techniques open to the negotiator in this kind of approach are the following:
Influence the other person’s belief in what is possible.
Learn as much as possible about the other person’s position especially with regard to resistance points.
Try to convince the other to change his/her mind about their ability to achieve their own goals.
Promote your own objectives as desirable, necessary, ethical, or even inevitable.
2. Lose-Lose Approach
This negotiation approach is adopted when one negotiating partner feels that his own interests are threatened and he does all he can to ensure that the outcome of the negotiation is not suitable to the interests of the other party as well. In the bargain, both the parties end up being the loser. This type of situation arises when the negotiating partners ignore one another’s needs and the need to hurt each other outweighs the need to find some kind of an acceptable solution. This is the most undesirable type of outcome and hence this negotiation approach is best avoided.
3. Compromise Approach
This approach provides an outcome which is some improvement over the lose-lose strategy outcome. To avoid a lose-lose situation, both parties give up a part of what they had originally sought and settle for something less than that. A compromise is the best way out when it is impossible for both parties to convince each other or when the disputed resources are limited.
4. Integrative Negotiation or Win-Win Approach
This negotiation approach is also called as collaborative or creating value approach. It is superior to all negotiation approaches. It results in both the parties feeling that they are achieving what they wanted. It results in satisfaction to both the parties. It has the following characteristics.
(i) There are a sufficient amount of resources to be divided and both sides can ‘win’
(ii) The dominant concern here is to maximize joint outcomes.
(iii) The dominant strategies include cooperation, sharing information, and mutual problem-solving. This type is also called ‘creating value’ since the goal here is to have both sides leave the negotiating feeling they had greater value than before.
Since the integrative approach is most desirable, some of the guidelines to integrative bargaining are listed below:
Q-10 What is Egoistic audience
A-10 Egoistic Audience
Most audience members are interested in things that directly affect them or their company. An effective speaker must be able to show their audience why the topic they are speaking on should be important to them.
