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The Art of Negotiation
Everything I needed to know about negotiation, I learned from my daughter
Negotiation skills are one of the most valuable skills that any person can have and they can be applied to all areas of life. There’s a lot of professional training available on negotiation skills and I’ve tried my share of those programs. But the funny thing is, I’ve learned more about negotiation in the last few years from my daughter than from any book or professional training! Let me share with you five things I’ve learned from my daughter about negotiation.
Understand the Other Party’s Situation before Negotiating
The success or failure of any negotiation depends a lot on how the other party’s feeling. When my daughter is overtired and grumpy, there’s no point in trying any sort of negotiation, be it asking her to eat, pack her toys away, or do her homework. Yes, she needs to do all these, but I need to consider my approach. I’ve learned that in some situations, it’s better to postpone a negotiation than fight a battle doomed to fail. It’s also important to remember that just because you have some sort of influence or authority over the other party, it doesn’t mean you necessarily have an upper hand in negotiating with them. Just because I gave birth to my daughter doesn’t mean I can get…
