Negotiation is a process that allows multiple parties to work towards resolving differences and reaching an agreement.

To read more about negotiation look at the following resources:

The Art of Negotiation

Negotiating - You've Done It Before

There are a number of outcomes of negotiation. The following are four commonly known strategies used to obtain a number of different results:

• Win-Win

• Win-Lose

• Lose-Win

• Lose-Lose

Win-Win

Win-win strategies work towards meeting the needs of all parties involved in the negotiation.

This strategy will only work if all the parties involved are working towards the same outcome and are aware of the interests of all other parties.

Effective communication and a strong focus on the issues at hand will assist in achieving an acceptable solution.

If you would like to read more about Win-Win Strategies read the following resource:

Interest Based Bargaining

Win-Lose

Win-lose strategies provide a positive outcome for the person or party that initiates the conflict or discussion while the other party is usually unsatisfied.

Often the dissatisfied party will remove themselves from the conflict or become aggressive and uncompromising.

Lose-Win

Lose-win strategies result in the initiating person or party being dissatisfied and unhappy with the outcome.

Often, the initiator gives in to the interests of the other party and makes most of the compromises.

Lose-Lose

Lose-lose strategies result from conflicts where neither party is prepared to recognise the interests of individual parties and work towards achieving them.

Lose-lose situations may require the assistance of a mediator to achieve a satisfactory result.

How to Approach Negotiation:

There are a number of approaches to negotiation or practices for delivering effective negotiation.

Generally an interaction involving negotiation will include the following steps:

1. Discuss the objective of the negotiation and each party's interests and concerns.

2. Define the issues that need to be resolved. Establish direct links between the issues and the interests of the parties involved.

3. Negotiate an acceptable solution. Brainstorming can be an effective technique to use to provide a variety of solutions.

4. Request and confirm agreement from all parties.

5. Follow up to monitor the progress of the solution.

If you would like to read more about Negotiation Techniques look at the following resources:

Negotiation Theory and Skills

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