Mastery Journal: Negotiations and Deal Making

Mastery Journal:

Negotiations and Deal Making

FullSail University

What a month! Negotiation and Deal Making was an incredible class. The instructor Elizabeth Rockhill Counsman, Esq. is a fabulous instructor who is very knowledgeable on this subject. We learned topics such as: the difference between Positions and Interests, what are Dirty Tricks and how to recognize them, why Mutual Benefit is imperative, the benefits of being Prepared, how to use Objective Criteria, what a BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) is and most importantly, Separating the Person from the Problem. My goal for this class, was to understand how I personally perform in a negotiation setting so that I may build the skills needed to become a more successful negotiator. Ultimately, This class delivered that and more.

Initially, this class was not what I expected. I assumed the focus would be on case studies and papers. Instead, Mrs. Counsman used scenarios in which we role-played specific negotiations. The purpose of these scenarios was to understand how we would handle the outcome of each deal. We had one role-playing exercise each week with a worksheet that accompanied it. The worksheet challenged us to review how the concepts she taught us were applied to the issue. I truly enjoyed getting into character and observing how the other students would play their roles. Having a chance to learn this way gave us the opportunity to apply the lessons she taught and evaluate what our strengths and weaknesses were. It was easy to see from the first negotiation, that the selfish mentality of winning, losing, and bartering came into play. For some students, it was a competition and would ask, “how do you feel you won”, in reference to the outcome of the negation. Strangely however, the outcome was beneficial to both parties and in essence both were winners.

A great example of what we learned is the Orange story. Two kids are arguing for an orange, the mother in her wisdom intervenes and figures out that each child wants the Orange. She determines that the solution is to split it in half. Using this solution both children are 50% satisfied with there half of the orange. Mrs. Counsmans showed us that, understanding the interest (why they want it), in the orange would aid in achieving a solution where both children would be 100% satisfied. In this scenario, one child wanted the orange peels to make a cake; the other wanted to eat it. With this knowledge, the more obvious solution would have been to give one child the peels and the other the fruit. Sadly, this concept is lost when parties are in a negotiation. This is mainly due to factors like negative emotions, perception, and lack of preparation, which strongly affect the outcome. Elizabeth educated us that the person is not the problem. We must separate the person from the issue and focus on finding a solution to the concern that benefits both parties.

The concepts learned will undoubtedly be in my negotiation tool bag for years to come. I feel extremely confident stepping into a mediation or negotiation now then I have ever been. I will continue to read the resources that were available to me during class. Utilizing these new skills and experiences to resolve issues amicably and with a mutually beneficial outcome will make me a well-rounded individual overall. I ultimately feel that I reached my goal stated in my mastery journal and ready to use what I learned in any situation.