Course Overview

Negotiation skills are required in almost all fields of work. In project management, particularly, negotiation skills are required to collaborate with stakeholders, negotiate for resources, plan to finalise the budget of a project, establish the scope of the project, etc.

Project managers need to be able to favourably negotiate for acquiring the best resources, budget, etc. to ensure appropriate and fruitful outcomes of a project. Project managers act as leaders, negotiators, delegators, mediators simultaneously and thus need to be able to focus on all aspects of their role alike.

Most project managers are well aware or made well aware of some best practices to develop effective negotiation skills, such as preparing well before a negotiation, understanding the full scope of all negotiation touchpoints before a project begins, being the first to anchor expectations, exercising optionality, leveraging all facets of communication, etc. Negotiation plays an important part in determining the success or failure of a project, and thus, all project managers should focus on developing their negotiation skills.

This Zoe training course will empower you with the necessary skill set to conduct fruitful and meaningful negotiations to acquire the best resources, budget and other important factors for successfully managing your project.

Further, the knowledge and experience gained through this course will equip you with the confidence and credibility to successfully drive and conduct critical negotiation discussions for your organisation, thus demonstrating talent and paving way for more opportunities for growth and progression.

Course Objectives

The main objective of this Advanced Negotiation Skills for Project Managers course is to empower project managers and other project management professionals with—

• detailed knowledge and experience of negotiating for various aspects while managing a project
• the confidence to undertake critical roles and responsibilities involving sensitive and difficult negotiations to fulfil the necessary requirements of a project
• the necessary skillset to conduct successful negotiations for the organisation, thus establishing credibility and potential for future growth
• the experience and knowledge to analyse realistic scenarios to devise an effective negotiation strategy for the organisation
• the awareness and perspective to determine the most appropriate influencing approaches and strategies for stakeholder interaction
• the required skill and capability to manage projects effectively, within the defined and agreed timeline, budget and quality, thus demonstrating credibility and fostering further professional growth and development
• the required skill set, experience and maturity to conduct mature and constructive negotiations for various important aspects of a project
• the ability, confidence and knowledge to train other colleagues to become good negotiators
• the knowledge and ability to use effective and advanced negotiation strategies and concepts in all discussions
• the experience and capability to successfully handle cross-cultural negotiations
• the ability and experience to effectively manage and overcome all challenges related to negotiations

Training Methodology

Zoe Talent Solutions creates courses and course content with room for customisation as per the backgrounds of the training audience. Lectures are delivered by a highly experienced individual in the relevant domain. The trainer uses audio-visual presentations for ease of reference.

The trainer also encourages trainee participation through group assignments and activities, including role-plays, projects, speeches, etc. Case studies are also discussed to aid reference to the theoretical training material.

Zoe Talent Solutions follows a unique Do–Review–Learn–Apply Model for all its training courses.

Organisational Benefits

Organisations whose project managers and other project management professionals attend this Advanced Negotiation Skills for Project Managers course will benefit in the following ways:

• Experienced employees to take forward complex and critical negotiations and discussions with relevant stakeholders
• More constructive and successful negotiations
• Well-planned and well-conducted negotiations because of the application of advanced negotiation concepts and strategies
• Better cross-cultural negotiations
• Organisational growth and development because of effective project management as a result of adequate and appropriate negotiations
• Continual training of other employees for necessary negotiation skills in their respective roles
• Effective negotiation strategies as a result of experienced individuals driving this forward

Personal Benefits

Professionals attending this Advanced Negotiation Skills for Project Managers course will benefit in the following manner:

• Complete knowledge, experience and exposure to successfully conduct negotiations for one’s organisation, thus demonstrating credibility and facilitating career growth and progression
• Enhanced skill and understanding to apply advanced concepts and strategies in one’s negotiations for one’s organisation
• Greater experience and knowledge to assess real scenarios and devise negotiation strategies accordingly
• Better understanding and experience to maintain good stakeholder relationships for ease of negotiations
• Greater preparedness and foresight to effectively handle and overcome challenges and hindrances related to negotiations
• Complete skillset and experience to become an effective and successful negotiator in any organisation or industry, thus providing additional career opportunities
• Increased knowledge, ability and confidence to fruitfully manage projects within the agreed time, budget and resources
• Increased confidence and knowledge to train other colleagues to enhance their negotiation skills
• Greater ability, experience and confidence to successfully manage cross-cultural negotiations

Who Should Attend?

• Project managers who need to maintain relationships with all stakeholders and negotiate with them on various facets of a project
• Project management officers and other executives who would be interested in pursuing a full-fledged career in project management
• Top management of an organisation who need to understand the importance of training project managers for negotiation skills
• Human resource professionals and other professionals who manage some small-scale projects for an organisation
• Any other professional who wishes to know more about negotiation skills in project management

Course Outline

The course will cover the following topics important to understanding advanced negotiation skills for project managers:

Module 1 – Approaches to Negotiations

• Distributive (win-lose approach)
• Lose-lose approach
• Compromise
• Integrative (win-win approach)

Module 2 – Basic Negotiation Styles

• Competing (aggressive)
• Collaborating (cooperative)
• Avoiding
• Compromising
• Accommodating (conceding)

Module 3 – Stages of Negotiation

• Preparation
• Opening
• Bargaining
• Closing

Module 4 – Elements of Negotiation

• Interests
• Alternatives
• Relationships
• Options
• Legitimacy
• Communication
• Commitment

Module 5 – BATNA and WATNA

• Definition/explanation of BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement)
• Definition/explanation of WATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement)
• Importance of both
• Challenges in determining both

Module 6 – Ethics in Negotiation

• Influencing factors
  • Demographic
  • Personality differences
  • Moral development
• Influencers of unethical conduct
  • Profits
  • Competition
  • Injustice
• Approaches to ethical reasoning
  • End-result ethics
  • Duty ethics
  • Social contract ethics
  • Personal ethics

Module 7 – Body Language in Negotiations

• The Face
• Cues
• Gestures

Module 8 – Different Communication and Negotiation Styles Across Countries

• Indirect versus direct
• Elaborate versus succinct
• Contextual versus personal
• Affective versus instrumental

Module 9 – Key to Successful Negotiations with Stakeholders

• Know your stakeholder
• Use vision as a tool
• Focus on alignment
• Justify your position
• Ask open questions
• Bring focus
• Listen and understand problems

Module 10 – Challenges in Negotiations in Project Management

• Lack of understanding
• Lack of time
• Lack of preparation
• Lack of patience
• Criticism/sarcasm/derogatory remarks
• Rigidity
• Last minute changes
• Lack of confidence

Module 11 – Some Best Practices in Negotiations

• Prepare well
• Identify all negotiation points before project start
• Exercise optionality
• Leverage all modes of communication
• Manage emotions
• Listen intently
• Anchor expectations clearly

General Notes