Introduction

This course considers the importance of building alliances and relationships through the application of negotiation and persuasion. Delegates will work on critical thinking processes to enable them to make better planning decisions in order to achieve success when negotiating alliances.

The course will equip delegates with an essential framework for effective negotiation starting with the planning process and understanding why it is essential to consider the critical points in building and maintaining relationships. Delegates will have the opportunity to exercise and improve their influencing and persuasion skills, and build higher-level communication ability in order to deliver results and maintain alliances for the mutual benefit of the parties involved.

The course will feature:

• Understanding the key issues in forming and maintaining alliances
• Applying critical thinking when planning to negotiate
• Defining the stages within a negotiation process
• Discussing how to defend yourself from aggressive tactics and ploys in negotiation
• Developing higher level communication skills for influencing others
• Applying more influence when negotiating through practical exercises

objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe a framework for the analysis of business alliances
• Understand how to apply influencing skills during the negotiation phase
• Recognise and manage difficult negotiators who use aggressive tactics during negotiation
• Understand the key principles of persuasion and its importance to negotiation
• Apply critical thinking when planning to develop business alliances

Contents

Day One

Developing Alliances

• Characteristics of a strategic alliance – effects of market dominance
• Culture and perception – and effects in building alliances
• Achieving results in the life cycle of the alliance, through building trust
• Personality - strengths & weaknesses in negotiations
• Minimising communication blockers to maintain relationships
• Development review and action planning

Day Two

Influence & persuasion skills in managing the alliance

• Challenges of meetings – group and individual strategies
• Positive influence of listening in challenging situations - good and bad news!
• Applying rules of influential presentations to maximize impact
• Maintaining compatible body language & using logic, credibility and passion
• Feedback and action planning

Day Three

Strategy in negotiation skills for partners and allies

• Steps in win-win negotiation
• The keys to collaborative bargaining in partnering
• Leverage: What it is and how to use it?
• Negotiation tactics and ploys
• Dealing with difficult negotiators and barriers
• Ethics in negotiation

Day Four

 Higher level negotiation skills for challenging situations

• Listening and responding to signals and informal information
• Recovering from reversals, errors and challenges
• Developing a climate of trust
• Higher level conversation techniques
• Concentrating action on the needs of alliance partners

Day Five

Maintaining alliances: critical thinking for decision making

• Gaining control and using information – formal and informal
• Identifying sources and testing assumptions
• Framing the problem
• Decision making under pressure
• Reviewing strategic alliances and building personal action