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I have recently helped several clients negotiate better contracts for themselves. Not just better financially, but more aligned with professional goals they have and the types of work they actually enjoy doing. Negotiation is a steep learning curve for many, but vital to understand.

Getting to “Yes” – Negotiating with Panache

The higher you climb up the professional ladder, the more your daily work life revolves around negotiations for both you and your team mates. Most people initially think of salary packages when considering negotiation skills. However, these skills can range from eliciting help from colleagues to getting support for your new ideas from more senior colleagues and board members.

Identify your main goal for the negotiation and where you would be prepared to compromise. Always go in asking for a bit more than you would like, more money for a project, more salary or holiday entitlement, more funding for staff training. If you have an idea of what your main goals are, the areas on which you compromise will seem like “gifts” or concessions to the other side, making you appear more reasonable and willing to negotiate.

Do not remain so attached to the idea of “winning” the argument. Putting your point of view forward without seeming to be attached to the results helps others lower their guard, relax and be able to see your perspective. Going in with a cross to bear only elicits resistance and tension in others. If you stick to the benefits and logic of an argument, often others will embrace it and sometimes even think of it as their idea – a major benefit if you want implementation more than recognition.

Top Tips for Effective Negotiation

1. Assume everyone has influence. When trying to land a sale or impress at an interview, never assume you know who is completely in charge. Heads of organisations often take advice from a wide range of people, so don’t concentrate your efforts only on one person. A kind word for a secretary or personal assistant often helps just getting you the interview slot you want and in fact, many executives will solicit information about your demeanour from their staff. So don’t wait to turn on the charm until you see the whites of the CEO’s eyes – greet everyone with respect.

2. When entering a negotiation, listen to the other side first. You will frequently hear priorities that overlap with your point of view. Verbally recognise these points and build them into a foundation for the concept you are proposing. Listening also conveys that you want this to be a collaborative process, a good start for any negotiator.

3. Verbally reflect what they are saying to convey that you understand what they want. Use phrases like “What I hear you saying is-” or “If I understand you correctly -”. This allows them to correct any miscommunication while demonstrating they are truly being heard; an invaluable asset for any negotiation.

4. After listening, start by emphasising the points with which you agree. Shared priorities and experiences allow differences of opinion to be only one part of the story of how you both want to move forward.

5. If you can, phrase all of your questions in an open manner avoiding answers that are likely to begin with “No”. Limiting the usage of this word keeps the atmosphere feeling collaborative, not combative.

6. At the end, summarise the agreements, actions points and compromises each side will be taking from the meeting and minute the details as this can eliminate problems or back-tracking later on.

The IPO presentation is a fact of life. Companies need it to raise capital when private placement capital may not be enough. It can be either live, in person or live, over the Internet. While there are many advantages to doing a live demo, there are also many disadvantages. These disadvantages can be eliminated through the business video production.

Let’s talk about the types of presentations given today, starting with the live demo. Its obvious advantage is personal interaction and goodwill. This is a strong advantage, but the drawbacks are just as strong. The most obvious is the cost and hassle of travel. And the cost of airline tickets, hotels, and rental cars is only increasing. In addition, the modern father or mother is less willing to be away from the family for extended periods. For these reasons, not traveling is growing in popularity.

Which leads us to the webinar. A webinar is a meeting over the Internet. In a webinar, the viewer can see the computer of the presenter, and they can carry on a discussion over the phone or VOIP (voice over Internet protocol). A web cam improves the process by making the presenter visible to the viewer and, with a second camera, can even make the viewer visible to the presenter. With this optimal setup, the presenter has all of the advantages of the personal visit (the interpersonal interaction) without the disadvantages (cost and time away from home).

But both of these types of presentations have disadvantages that might not quickly come to mind. The first of these disadvantages is that, in both the personal visit and the webinar, the presenter’s presence is required. And it is required for each and every presentation. The same is true of the viewer. Obviously, the viewer must be present. The presence of two parties implies a time schedule. The two parties must come to an agreement on a time to meet. With today’s hectic schedules, finding this time can be difficult and can involve some phone tag to resolve.

The second disadvantage of the live presentation is the foibles and imperfections of all humans that come out as stumbles and fumbles. No matter how much we practice, we are doomed to imperfection, and the level of our professional mien is determined by the number of our “ers” and “ums” and slips of the tongue.

Once again, it’s developing technology to the rescue in the form of the high-definition video presentation. While this type of presentation has the disadvantage of the absence of direct human interaction, it overcomes the disadvantages of the live presentation and the webinar. Most obviously, it eliminates the need for the presenter to travel to the viewer’s site. Second, it saves the precious time of the presenter. Once the video presentation is perfected, it can be viewed an uncountable number of times by an uncountable number of people. Third, the problem of coordinating two or more schedules is eliminated. The video presentation can be viewed by each individual at whatever time is convenient, and the viewing can even be split into shorter segments that fit into the busy schedule. Finally, the perfected video has none of the slips of the tongue seen in any live presentation.

While there are many good reasons to give live presentations or presentations via webinar, the advantages of the business video production or IPO presentation outweigh the disadvantages of the live presentation. These disadvantages are the cost in time and dollars, the need to coordinate busy schedules, and the stumbles and fumbles that inevitably occur during a presentation.