Use communication skills to influence others.

 Persuasion is an important part of communication  Want others to understand your message and agree with you  Try to influence people to change their attitudes or behavior  Trying to communicate in a persuasive way so they will say “yes” rather than “no”

 To purchase/buy a product  To be patient  To have confidence in product  To choose project to finance

 Tell the truth  If you always tell it, others will get into the habit of believing you because they can trust you  Know what you’re talking about  Make sure your information is correct  If you don’t know, say so!  Don’t exaggerate  You don’t want to make something look better than it is  Ex: Say something is offering a discount to attract customers vs. it is the cheapest in town (especially if YOU DON’T KNOW THAT AS A FACT!)

 Understand your audience  Different audiences have different needs/concerns  Be reasonable  Almost impossible to do something unrealistic  Get your audience’s attention  Does it affect them? If they can’t make that connection, may not listen  State your case  Explain your ideas  Promote benefits  Create a desire for others to agree with your ideas.

 Use appropriate body language  Face people and look them in the eye when you speak to them  Smiles encourage people to listen to you  Use persuasive words  Use words that appeal to your audience  “you”, “save”, “easy”, “fun”, “new”, and “money” are very persuasive  People respond well when message is directed to them  Use your voice  Speak in a normal tone  Vary the volume of your voice  Put energy into your voice  Speak with confidence  Use stories  Reinforce your message with examples

 The process of reaching agreement with another party or persuading someone to take a certain course of action

 When you approach your manager to request a specific assignment  You are in charge of hiring a graphic-design firm to create your company’s product catalog  When you approach your supervisor about vacation time  When you approach your manager about a different sales territory assignment

 Combative  You’re ready to fight for what you want at any cost!  Example: When you are shopping for a high-ticket item, such as a car, you are interested only in getting the best price, not necessarily in establishing a relationship with the salesperson.  Competitive  Embraces the “I must win, so you must lose” mentality.  Often creates suspicion and distrust in future dealings, if there are any.  Avoidant  When you avoid a situation, you do what you can to steer clear of an uncomfortable or unpleasant experience.  This strategy is often used when: The relationships and outcomes are not important. The negotiator has an alternative plan to get what s/he wants.

 Accommodating  People who accommodate others might find themselves doing or agreeing to something they don’t really like.  One person might “give in,” hoping to gain something else during another negotiation.  Collaborative  When people collaborate, they work together.  They are more likely to create an outcome that benefits both parties.  Collaboration builds lasting relationships by embracing an “everybody wins” attitude.

 Bargaining  Each person proposes solutions and uses “give-and-take” tactics to reach an agreement.  You may have to give up something, but you get something in return.  Know exactly what you are willing to give before you begin negotiating.  Don’t make concessions until you know all the other person’s demands.  The number of concessions you make should decrease as the negotiation process continues  Good cop/Bad cop  If you are part of a group that is negotiating, set up one person as reasonable and agreeable and the other person as unreasonable.  This allows you to present two positions, making the “reasonable” one that much more attractive to the other side.  If you’re faced with this strategy, you can combat it by directing your attention toward the good cop.

 Limited authority  This works the same way as good cop/bad cop, although the bad cop is not present.  The good cop claims that s/he does not have the authority to meet your requests.  You can avoid this by arranging to talk to both people at the same time (the good cop and the decision maker), still focusing your attention toward the good cop.  Deadline driven  Giving others specific deadlines to meet your requests is a good way to make sure they are met.  It’s a way of making the negotiation real and specific.  An advantage to this strategy is that it introduces a deadline as a negotiable point.  If you set a deadline earlier than is necessary, you can build in negotiating room.

 A focus on needs/wants  Depending on the relationship you have with the other person, it might be helpful to present exactly what you want and why.  This works well when the relationship is important to you and to the other person.  On the other hand, there are times when you don’t want to divulge all your information. Example: If you are negotiating a price for something, you don’t want to reveal how much you are actually willing to pay for it up front.  Silence  Silence is a good tactic to use when: The discussion becomes emotionally heated. The other person does not like what you say.  Nod your head to signal you are listening, but don’t talk.  People are often uncomfortable with silence.  The other person might try to revise his/her statement to sound more reasonable.  In this moment, the power shifts to you.

 Research and prepare  anticipate the other person’s negotiation style  gather information ahead of time  Set up a time and place to meet with the other person  timing is crucial  consider the meeting place  Negotiate for a win-win outcome  meet with the other person  be aware of body language  use appropriate language  Actively listen  Resolve issues, reach an agreement, and establish terms  You’ve stated your needs, expressed your interests, communicated benefits, discussed options, and reached a compromise or an agreement.  The next step is to make sure that each person understands the other’s expectations and responsibilities and to set deadlines or set up another meeting if needed.