Lesson 1: Do not see negotiating as a battle
LeadershipNow advises not approaching negotiations as a confrontation. This will only make both sides bitter and less likely to find common ground. See negotiating as an opportunity to look at all possible solutions together and find the best one for both sides.
Lesson 2: Learn to find compromises
You will never come out of a negotiation as a 100% winner. That is not even the goal of negotation. The goal is to find a feasible compromise. Keep an open mind, be flexible and help yourself and the other side by trying to reach a compromise.
Lesson 3: Actively listen to the other side
Most people go into a negotiation with a clear idea of what they want to achieve, and they hold on to that idea so tightly that they are not really willing to listen to the other side at all. But this is a mistake because what the other side says may reveal a simple, win-win solution that you had not even thought of before. So do not be stubborn. Listen to the other side and try to understand what they are really after.
Lesson 4: Always go beyond the obvious and superficial facts
In order to find the best solution for everyone involved, it is often necessary to go deep beneath the surface to the core of the problem or most basic priorities and demands of both parties. Do not just skim the surface. Go to the heart of the issue, try to see everything in a larger perspective and look for long-term, sustainable and all-encompassing solutions that will satisfy both parties for as long as possible.
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