After watching these podcast videos
about negotiations I must admit that I have a much different perspective and
understanding of what it means to negotiate effectively. If you have ever seen
one episode of Scandal, you know
that Olivia Pope is definitely
the “hard negotiator” type. The podcasts I watched showed the differences used
in negotiations. The three videos I chose to watch were, William Ury:
Negotiating for sustainable agreements, Advanced Negotiations by Emory School
of Law, and William Ury: The walk from “no” to “yes.” Each of these videos I
found to be very insightful and full of useful, tactical information that has
opened my eyes to a world of possibilities in dealing with negotiations. Below
I will talk about the negotiation techniques that were broken down into each of
the podcasts that I watched.
William Ury: The walk from
“no” to “yes” talked about the concept of separating people from the
problem when he spoke about “going to the balcony.” This means that in a heated
negotiation, people tend to attack the other person and not the issue. Ury
talks about “going to the balcony metaphorically to take a step back, separate
the person from the problem and gain an overall perspective.
In the Emory
School of Law podcast, he talked about how positional bargaining can cause
people to focus too much on their positions and not on the solutions that can
happen. In positional bargaining, people hold on to their positions, not
wanting to make any concessions for the other party.
In “Negotiating
for Sustainable Agreements,” Ury talks about the importance of mutual
benefit. He talked about how an effective negotiation goes past the concessions
given to the underlying interests that each party has. Both sides have genuine
arguments however they both have concerns that may be able to work together on.
These are the mutual benefits.
In all, I found all three of these
podcasts very informative. I don’t feel as though I am a Olivia Pope, but I do have
a better understanding of how the human psyche works. I think this information
helps me in the entertainment business because negotiations happen everyday in
entertainment. You have to know how to negotiate with others to survive. A
working musician has to negotiate pay for gigs, riders and accommodations for
every even he plays. These skills are crucial to this industry. How important
do you think negotiation is in your life? Do you agree with Ury that we are
living in a negotiation revolution? If so, Why? Why not?
-L. Ontario Griffin
