The art of negotiation

5. Give yourself room to manoeuvre. Make sure you have something to offer the other person, as well as something you want.

6. Listen. And keep listening. It’s vital to really understand what the other person is saying and their point of view. To listen shows respect and good intentions, and will make the other person feel valued.

7. Keep your options open. If you don’t get what you want then resist the impulse to insult the other person or storm out. End the negotiation politely, and with a smile. That way you can always try again later.

Of course not everyone is willing to negotiate. But you can use these tools even when you’re the only one negotiating. Sarah, a client of mine, worked with a really awkward woman who kept taking over her work and then sucking up to the boss about it. Sarah was furious, but kept her cool.

She asked the woman for coffee and thanked her for her hard work, before pointing out the areas in which she was overstepping the mark. Sarah asked her to stop and suggested that they work together on a particular project. The woman was grumpy but agreed, and a month later told Sarah it was actually a relief to know what she should and shouldn’t be doing.

The ability to negotiate will help in virtually any work situation and will often allow you to sidestep conflict.

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