MANUAL TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP AND NEGOTIATION

TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP AND NEGOTIATION

avoiding the desire to please, to be appreciated by others. In a negotiation you may be forced to antagonise other people, and if we seek too much to be valued and appreciated we may feel confused. • Rigidity . During a negotiation it is necessary to modify positions, to understand the reasons that lead the other to act as they do, to creatively seek new ways of resolving conflictive situations, etc. If we are excessively rigid, we will close many doors and it will be more difficult to reach agreements. • Emotions. If in negotiations we feel pressure towards ourselves and not towards what we represent and if we see that the tension can make us say things we will later regret or that the agreements we reach are more the result of pressure than of our own will, we should not negotiate. We must not let emotions condition our negotiating behaviour, and to avoid this, the best system is to plan negotiations thoroughly. The behaviours of capable negotiators lead them to behave in a charming way. They are people who know how to listen, who avoid arguing, who do not constantly argue, who look for what unites us and not what separates us, who never lie, who are firm but pleasant in their dealings, who understand that negotiation is not a competition but a way for mutual collaboration and who, finally, seek their own benefit through that of the other party. One could almost say that they are dangerously charming.

9.9. Active listering

A popular saying goes that "God made us with two ears and one mouth to hear twice as much as we speak". It sounds simple, but let's try it... in a negotiation.

Active listening is a critical influencing skill that is of direct importance in negotiation processes. It involves a range of behaviours that communicate to the other person that they are being listened to and understood, that the feelings behind the words are appreciated and accepted, and that whatever their thoughts or words, they are accepted as a person.

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