Resources for Young Entrepreneurs
Communication and negotiation techniques
Effective communication
Good communications require:
- Active Listening
- Assertiveness
- Level headedness
- Open Mindedness/objectivity/non-judgmental
- Concise but informative discussion points
- Negotiation-able to compromise
- Set objectives – what do you want to achieve?
- Positive body language
Active Listening
It is difficult to respond with patience, understanding and empathy when you feel that the ideas being expressed to you are illogical, however, the techniques suggested will, if practised generate positive attitudes of tolerance and understanding.
Paraphrase to check understanding:
I understand what you are saying is….
Do you mean that…?
So your point is that….
The key is to show you have been listening and want to understand.
Reflecting the implications:
So if you did that, you’d then be in a position to….
Are you suggesting that we might…?
Would that help with the problem of…?
Reflect the underlying feelings:
I suppose that must make you feel….
That must be very satisfying when….
I can understand how that would annoy you….
Inviting further contributions:
Tell me a bit more about that….
How did you feel when…?
How did it come about that…?
Use open-ended questions to encourage further conversations on a topic:
- When
- Why
- How
- What
- Which
- Explain
Assertiveness
This should not be confused with aggression, dominance or getting your own way.
Being assertive means being honest with yourself and others. It means having the ability to say directly what it is you want, you need or feel, but not at the expense of other people.
It means confidence in yourself and being positive, while at the same time understanding other people’s point of view. It means being able to negotiate and reach workable compromises. Above all, being assertive means having self-respect and respect for other people.
Do not be aggressive, do not be passive.
An easy pattern to follow:
- STEP 1: Actively listen to what is being said then show the other person that you both hear and understand them.
- STEP 2: Say what you think or what you feel.
- STEP 3: State what you would like to happen.
E.g. I understand that you feel strongly about this, however, when you shout it makes me feel uncomfortable, therefore, if think we should both calm down and discuss this point rationally.
Objectivity
You must be open to hearing other peoples point of view and quite often this will mean a change of direction in your own viewpoint. Do not be stubborn and stick your heals in. It is not necessary to always get your own way. You may have to compromise to find an effective workable solution.
Concise but informative with set objectives
The key to this is preparation, if this is possible, decide on what you want to cover and plan how you are going to say it. Ask yourself what you hope to achieve from the discussion and how far you are willing to move from your original thoughts.
Negotiation
Trading concessions can often do this, i.e. if you do this I would be willing to do this. Life dictates that has we cannot always get our own way and occasionally we may be disappointed, however, effective negotiations usually leaves most parties feeling at least partially fulfilled. When negotiating you must be prepared to back down and admit that maybe your idea is not the best way forward. What you are hoping to achieve is a good workable compromise.
Give people room for manoeuvre in order to work out a solution that will be amenable to all parties.
If you use all of the listed techniques you may find that future discussions are more fruitful and enjoyable.
