Negotiate to Win: Essential Skills for Bilateral Negotiations

A negotiation is more than just a discussion. It’s a combination of attitudes, interpersonal skills, cultural awareness, tactics and judgement.

Strong negotiation skills focus on both the result and the relationship creating greater value for any organisation. Effective negotiation skills are indispensable for all members of a team, regardless of their role or hierarchical position, as they are utilised daily to accomplish tasks and collaborate effectively.

The objective of this two-day course is to make you aware of the essential skills and techniques in negotiations. Several simulation exercises expose you to various situations of negotiation. Debriefing sessions combined with theoretical insight provide you with crucial learning points and takeaways to master the usual challenges of negotiations.

What can you and your team expect to learn?

Over two intensive days, you’ll learn essential strategies for effective communication, conflict resolution, and deal-making. Gain the confidence to navigate complex bilateral negotiations with finesse, ensuring favourable outcomes for all parties involved.

You will learn how to:

• improve analytical and interpersonal soft skills in negotiation processes;
• negotiate a mandate and build a negotiation strategy;
• prepare and conduct a negotiation;
• build a mapping of stakeholders;
• evaluate your negotiation and decision-making abilities while bargaining on any matter;
• learn how to use practical tools and techniques of negotiation through simulated situations.

What essential techniques and negotiation skills will you acquire or improve?

By the end of the course, you will know how to:

• define a negotiation strategy;
• enforce a negotiation mandate;
• use essential communication techniques to ensure optimal impact in any situation;
• master the most frequently encountered tactics used in negotiations;
• bargain and secure pay offs in viable deals.

By mastering these skills, you will be better equipped to navigate bilateral negotiations with confidence, achieving optimal outcomes for both yourself and your organisation.

Course methodology

The teaching method – highly operational in nature – uses a bottom-up approach based on several scenarios either hypothetical cases, or real-life cases introduced by the participants themselves.

The simulation exercises offer a learning-by-doing approach, while serving as eye-openers for participants.

The exercises help them acquire essential techniques and tools to negotiate better.

The trainers assist participants in building their individual action plan, aiming at implementing and developing their new negotiation abilities.

This course will help you to:

• better identify the processes of interpersonal communication with a view to creating a climate of trust and credibility;
• analyse your own attitudes, reactions and preferences in relation to others;
• draw up a list of behavioural parameters to be considered in bilateral negotiations;
• be aware of the main golden rules of interpersonal communication;
• maximise your impact when speaking and conducting formal as well as informal bilateral negotiations.

Are you interested in knowing more about the basics of communication? Take a look at our EIPA digital hub and try our free course on Strategy of Influence in Negotiation: Intercultural communication and challenges.

Representatives from the private or public sector; officials from national, community and international organisations and agencies, who are involved in preparing, assisting in or conducting bilateral negotiations, either internally or externally at any level.

Anyone who regularly engages in bargaining or consultations with other parties during the course of their work.

Project number: 2510901

Course venue
European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA)
O.L. Vrouweplein 22
6211 HE, Maastricht
The Netherlands

Project Management Officer
Ms Noëlle Debie
Tel: +31 43 32 96 226
n.debie@eipa.eu

Fee
The fee includes documentation, refreshments and lunches. Accommodation and travel costs are at the expense of the participants or their administration.

Discounts
EIPA member fee
EIPA offers a discount to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s supporting countries, and civil servants working for an EU institution, body or agency.

Who are the supporting countries?
Civil servants coming from the following EIPA supporting countries are entitled to get the reduced fee: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden.

For all other participants, the regular fee applies.

Early bird discount
The early bird discount is not cumulative with other discounts or promo codes, except for the EIPA member fee.

Loyalty coupon
As a token of appreciation we offer all our participants a loyalty coupon for one of our future courses. The offer can be shared with colleagues and relevant networks. The coupon will expire one year after its release. This discount is not cumulative with other discounts, except for the EIPA member fee.

Meals
Dietary preferences can be indicated on the registration form.

Hotels
EIPA has a special price arrangement with a few hotels. The hotels are within walking distance from EIPA. Payment is to be made directly and personally to the hotel upon checking out.

• Derlon If you wish to take advantage of this special price, please click on the hotel name to book directly using the link
  info@derlon.com
  +31 (0)43 321 67 70
• Townhouse If you wish to take advantage of the special price, use the word ‘EIPA’ in the promotion code field
  info@townhousehotels.nl
  +31 (0)43 323 30 90
• Mabi If you wish to take advantage of the special price, use the word ‘EIPA’ in the promotion code field
  info@hotelmabi.nl
  +31 (0)43 351 44 44
• Kaboom Hotel If you wish to take advantage of the special price, use the word ‘EIPA’ in the promotion code field
  info@kaboomhotel.nl
  +31 (0)43 325 33 40
• Leonardo Boutique Hotel
  reservations.maastrichtcitycenter@leonardo-hotels.nl

Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed online registration form.

Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation.

Cancellation policy
For administrative reasons you will be charged €150 for cancellations received within 15 days before the activity begins. There is no charge for qualified substitute participants.

EIPA reserves the right to cancel the activity up to 2 weeks before the starting date. In that case, registration fees received will be fully reimbursed. EIPA accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred (travel, accommodation, etc.).

A few days before the start of the course you will receive the log-in details for accessing the course materials. You can log in here.