Preparation is key

In order to increase your possibilities of reaching a desired outcome of an upcoming negotiation it is vital to do your homework and prepare properly (more on this topic in future posts). But when the schedule is filled with back to back meetings there might simply not be sufficient time.

Here are some key tips that can be done quickly but will still have a big impact on your negotiations:

- “I have no clear goals as to what I want to achieve in this championship” said no pro athlete ever. On the contrary, athletes more or less always describes how they see themselves crossing the finishing line first and stand on top of the podium. Same goes for negotiations, if you don’t know yourself where you want to end up you will not be able to steer the process and in worst case completely follow the tune of your counterpart.

- Write down your goals - it helps you both to remember but also to reinforce the message to your brain.

- On the same page, note down the top 5 facts/statements supporting your end goal - in the heat of discussions it is easy to forget what you actually wanted to say. This way you have ensured that they will not be forgotten and that will in turn help you relax and be more focused on the discussion at hand.With a bit of practice you will be able to do this exercise in less than 5 minutes.