Navigating Negotiation

By Linda

We've collated some resources to help with negotiating in business and life.

Negotiating.  Getting to yes.  Driving a hard bargain.  Win-win. We all do it.  It's part of navigating daily life.

It could be with ourselves: "If I go to the gym I can treat myself to an ice cream on the way home." It might be with our kids: "You can watch that movie AFTER you've done your homework." It may be with our significant others: "We'll have Christmas with your family IF we can spend New Year with mine."

Negotiating for a satisfactory outcome can be a job in itself. For instance, a contract manager negotiates with suppliers for a mutually beneficial supply arrangement, while a union official negotiates work conditions on behalf of organisational members.

For most individuals though, it's often much harder to negotiate in the workplace, particularly when it comes to situations such as getting a place on a project team or asking for a pay rise.

Like so many necessary work skills, negotiation techniques can be learned. We've collated some resources to help.

In the blog post The Fundamentals of Negotiation, the author sets out five things he feels must be done to build a strong foundation as a successful negotiator.

In this TED talk, Australian researcher, organisational psychologist and university professor, Ruchi Sinha, outlines three key steps to help you successfully master negotiation through the building of relationships.

Based on real life experiences, 16 Things You Should Never Say When You’re Negotiating provides tips on what not to say and why those words and phrases could kill a deal.

There are a number of courses available on LinkedIn Learning accessible via the Wellington City Libraries website. Using your library registration, sign into LinkedIn Learning and type "negotiation" or "negotiating" into the search box and select from the options.

There's also plenty of material in our book collection.  Below we've compiled some you might find helpful :

If you need more information, please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.