Episode 1 – The Negotiator
Summary of Episode
We have grown so accustomed to being told what the deal is upfront that negotiation is one of the skills that has fallen out of many of our repertoires. A survey of various companies throughout the USA in 2018 found that only 39% of employees tried to negotiate pay with their last job offer. According to Katie Donovan, founder of Equal Pay Negotiations, the average woman loses around $2 million over a lifetime by not trying to negotiate pay rises.
Negotiation can be between two individuals or multiple individuals and multiple teams. One way of thinking about negotiation is to define clear roles that need to be fulfilled by that individual or team. The typical roles are as follows:
Leader
The leader has a split role:
1. Coordinate the team
2. Provide the main ‘face’ of the negotiations.
Critic
The critic is the ‘bad cop’ of the team, looking for flaws and problems. They seek their own team’s betterment by self-improvement (in private) but can also be useful for finding the opposing teams’ flaws
Relater
The relater is the friendly face of the team. Responsible for building rapports
Expert
Experts needn’t be ever present and are employed to give an opinion on the part of the negotiations they are a leading authority in or have professional training/experience in.
Recorder
The recorder (often called a scribe, secretary, etc.) takes notes about what is said. In particular they note what people are requesting and what offers are made.
Builder
The builder creates offers, packages and deals
Observer
The observer watches the negotiations, paying attention to finer detail such as non-verbal communication
Story
In a 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland where thousands had lost their lives, primarily civilians. The conflict revolved around bitter sectarian divisions between protestant unionists who want to remain in the UK and catholic republicans who want to join the republic of Ireland. Groups such as the IRA and the UVF spurred on the fighting and the British army was deployed in the summer of 69.
In his memoires: A Journey: My Political Life (Knopf, 2010). Blaire offers us 10 negotiation strategies he took away from the experience of dealing with this major conflict.
1. Agree on a common framework
2. Grip the conflict relentlessly
3. Attend to minor matters
4. Be creative
5. Rely on third parties
6. View resolutions as a journey
7. Prepare for disruption
8. Capitalise on leadership
9. Seize on external change
10. Never give up
More can be seen in 4. And 5. On the reading list.
Next, Med, Tinaye and Nandi talk tactics. A long list of tactics can be found on the reading list under 6.
Reading List
1. Negotiation Roles by the Changing Minds organisation http://changingminds.org/disciplines /negotiation/articles/negotiation_rol es.htm
2. Just 39% of Employees Want to Negotiate Their Salary. Published in Small Business Trends by Michael Guta https://smallbiztrends.com/2018/02 /salary-negotiation-statistics.html
3. Why Don’t More Women Negotiate? Published by Forbes Carol Sankar Forbes Councils Member https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes coachescouncil/2017/07/13/whydont-more-womennegotiate/#4ea18c85e769
4. Famous Negotiators: Tony Blair’s 10 Principles to Guide Diplomats in International Conflict Resolution. Published in Harvard Law School Program of Negotiation daily blog. written by Pon Staff https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/ international-negotiationdaily/international-negotiations-andconflict-tony-blairs-10-principles-fordispute-resolution-negotiations/
5. A Journey: My Political Life (Knopf, 2010)
6. Negotiation Tactics by the Changing Minds organisation http://changingminds.org/disciplines/ negotiation/tactics/tactics.htm
Nandi Mnyama is a final-year medical student at Hull York Medical School and Scholar at the Healthcare Leadership Academy. She is also a Finance Assistant at Integritas Healthcare CIC and is on the Agenda Committee for Medical Student’s Conference at the British Medical Association
Tinaye Mopako is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Liverpool. He is currently undertaking an intercalated degree in bioethics/medical ethics
Ahmad Elmansouri is a foundation year two doctor at University Hospital Southampton. He undertakes research in medical education and is the co-founder of the Wessex Finals Revision Weekend. He is currently working in general medicine as part of the Covid-19 response.
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