MANUAL TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP AND NEGOTIATION

TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP AND NEGOTIATION

• Comprehension check and summary. It has been observed that good negotiators tend to a greater extent to recapitulate on agreements already reached, summarising the positions of each party and emphasising those points that were either common before starting to negotiate or that have been achieved through the negotiation process. This behaviour has two objectives: on the one hand, it clarifies misunderstandings and reduces the possibility of misinterpretation, which is especially important in complex negotiations where the wording of the agreement can sometimes be confusing. On the other hand, summarising is a good way of referring to the common ground and allows more emphasis to be placed on the agreements that have been reached than on the differences that still need to be resolved. • Patience. This is a prerequisite for a negotiator. During a negotiation, one must be able to endure repetition, blockages, digressions and even impertinence, and one must avoid the impulse to get up and give up in order to continue seeking an agreement. Patience, along with the perseverance necessary to achieve objectives, are two qualities that good negotiators put to the test on more than one occasion.

On the other hand, there are a number of behaviours that should be avoided when negotiating. Try to avoid the following behaviours:

• Lying . As Callières points out in his essay, "the ideal negotiator knows how to mislead without being a liar". Lying about facts or things should be avoided at all times; it is unnecessary and can easily backfire. If the other negotiating party finds out that at some point we have lied, we will have lost all our weapons. On the other hand, we can mislead through opinions, interests and feelings. These are personal thoughts that we can always change without damaging our image. • Pleasing . It is not a question of avoiding pleasing the other party, but of

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