Overview

Purpose

Negotiation is the dynamic process by which two or more parties come together to resolve a misunderstanding or disagreement and reach a decision they are prepared to live with. This workshop concentrates on how to achieve agreement and commitment using the method of “Principled negotiation.” Participants will recognize and use principled negotiation to get what they want from others without alienating them.

Contents

A brief description of each learning activity is shown below with an approximation of the amount of time required. If you wish to change the order, to omit something, or to add training material of your own, feel free to do so.

7.1 Warm-up exercise: what kind of negotiator are you

Participants recall several personal experiences where they were negotiating over something and share some of these experiences in small groups. (45 minutes)

7.2 Trainer presentation

Brief presentation on the role of councillors as negotiators. Draw on material from the preceding essay and your own experience to explain some of the best approaches to effective negotiating and how effective negotiators strive to achieve win/win solutions following a few basic steps. Describe role negotiation as a strategy councillors can use to resolve common role conflicts or ambiguities 'thin a local government or between units or levels of government. (30 minutes)

7.3 Role playing/case study: the bulldozer disagreement

Participants role play a situation involving a dispute between two districts over the shared use of a bulldozer in order to seek a settlement of the dispute. (60 - 75 minutes)

7.4 Exercise: the language of negotiation

Participants are asked to read six techniques used by experienced negotiators in the United States and the United Kingdom and to compare them with the negotiating practices of their own countries. (120 minutes)

7.5 Role play case study: hawker/council confrontation

Participants, in two groups, are asked to read a situation involving conflicting interests about the activities of hawkers during an international convention. Participants play roles of a local council and hawkers in negotiating for their respective interests. (120 minutes)

7.6 Skill transfer exercise

Participants reflect on what they have learned and make personal commitments to put it to use after the workshop. (45 minutes)