MWI's Negotiation Skills Workshop builds on the ideas and frameworks developed by Professor Roger Fisher and his colleagues at the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School.  Based on the best-selling book Getting to Yes, the training workshops feature the key elements of Fisher's model, widely known in the field as “integrative bargaining” or “principled negotiation.”  Representing a landmark shift in how negotiation is understood and conducted, Fisher's ideas have been implemented throughout the world in all sectors of society, from community-based disputes to intra-organizational conflict to public policy debates.  For years, experienced practitioners have reported that training in principled negotiation has increased their confidence and competence.

MWI’s Negotiation Skills Workshop is designed to build each participant’s capacity to transform adversarial approaches to negotiation and conflict into problem-solving collaborations, producing better outcomes for all parties while enhancing long-term working relationships.  MWI’s Negotiation Skills Workshop is designed to:

• Stimulate participants’ awareness of the complexities of negotiation

• Equip participants with a framework for understanding, diagnosing and leading the negotiation process

• Enhance participants’ skills through hands-on experience and feedback

• Provide participants with a process for continued improvement and learning
   

WORKSHOP METHODOLOGY

Following the teaching model of the Harvard Negotiation Project, MWI uses a hands-on, interactive, skill-centered method of teaching negotiation. Each day of the workshop, core concepts and frameworks are presented in an interactive style to the participants. Building on the interactive presentations, each day centers on case simulations in which participants actually negotiate and apply the theory they are learning. Case simulations are drawn from the teaching materials developed and used by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. After completing each case, instructors lead participants through a systematic analysis of the negotiation. During the analysis portion, emphasis is placed on bringing out the experience and expertise of the group and organizing their ideas into a useful set of guidelines for negotiating in the future.

Portions of the training workshop will be spent: learning a new systematic framework for preparing for, conducting and reviewing negotiations; participating in exercises designed to enhance and highlight particular skills; watching demonstrations of new techniques; and debriefing exercises in small group discussions.
 

Goals of MWI's Negotiation Workshop

Participants in MWI's Negotiation Skills Workshop can expect to learn how to:

• Discover your current assumptions about negotiation and your approach to negotiating;
• Learn how to systematically prepare, conduct and review negotiations to produce better outcomes each time you negotiate;
• Learn how to discover the underlying interests in a negotiation and create mutually beneficial and durable solutions for all parties;
• Enhance your ability to communicate more effectively;
• Understand ways to build and strengthen important relationships over time;
• Learn how to deal effectively with difficult tactics, people and situations;
• Recognize when to accept and when to “walk away” from a deal;
• Respond to threats and otherwise uncooperative behavior;
• Separate the people from the problem;
• Strengthen and improve relationships
• Build your skills for negotiating more systematically and successfully over time.
   

PRAISE FOR MWI'S NEGOTIATION SKILLS WORKSHOPS

“The trainers were very involved.  They were very interested in our particular situation here at [our company].”

“I have learned a vast wealth of knowledge on, and a practical appreciation for, the art and theory of negotiation in all of its capacities.”

“The trainers were excellent – they were very well organized and worked well as a team.  I attend a lot of presentations and this is one of the best.”

“The cases were very interesting and realistic and made us want to learn the techniques needed.”

“The teaching staff was superb – very good at demonstrating ideas and leading us in developing them for ourselves.”

 “I found it valuable to get to the underlying interests behind positions, as this can bring up options that are mutually beneficial but not inherently obvious.”

"Trainers were poised, knowledgeable, catalytic and they genuinely seemed to enjoy what they were doing and to enjoy the company of all of us. That’s a treat!"

"This was an extremely powerful and far reaching workshop with its greatest strength lying in the people involved in it."

"Great course - most practical training I’ve had in a long time."

CLIENT OPTIONS

MWI offers clients a number of options to improve their capacity to negotiate effectively.  Please click on any of the links for additional information:

• Customized On-Site Negotiation Skills Workshops - learn how MWI can design and deliver a custom-tailored negotiation skill-building workshop for your company or organization. These programs are held onsite, at your convenience.
   
• Open Enrollment Negotiation Skills Workshop - for individuals seeking to improve their capacity to negotiate effectively. These valuable two-day programs are held in Boston twice per year, in May and October.
   
• Negotiation Coaching – for teams or individuals looking to improve results for a specific upcoming negotiation.  Coaching sessions can be conducted onsite, via telephone or video conferencing, or by email.  Participation in MWI’s Negotiation Skills Workshops is suggested but not required.
   
• College Conflict Resolution Initiative – for campus-based programs or initiatives, designed specifically for the college campus. These programs are designed for students, administrators, faculty, residence hall staff, etc.
   
• Advanced Negotiation Workshops – for those looking to focus or improve upon a particular set of skills introduced in MWI’s Custom On-Site or Open Enrollment Negotiation Skills Workshops. These advanced programs provide an opportunity for participants to delve more deeply into negotiation topics and tools of interest.
  

Please contact Stephen Frenkel, Director of Negotiation Programs at 800-348-4888 x24 or sfrenkel@mwi.org for more information about MWI's Negotiation Programs and Services.

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