Chapter 2.4

Question 1

Where are key international negotiations in the political areas often held?

Answer 1

On ‘neutral ground’ for fairness and to suggest that no one party is exercising more power over the other

Question 2

Name 9 qualities that represent the ideal negotiation environment

Answer 2

1. Both parties feel comfortable physically
2. Travel to the location and check-in is easy
3. Both parties have no concerns regarding secuirty and confidentiality, including breaches
4. The facility is quiet, secure and in addition to the main negotiation room/area, there is access to separate recess rooms for breakouts
5. Negotiation teams do not meet inadvertently in reception area before or after meetings
6. Agenda and timings are agreed in advance, so participants can plan meals, breaks etc
7. Refreshments are available to purchase with some choice
8. There is access to tele/video conferencing facilities if required
9. There are no surprises for the visiting party designed to distract or unsettle them

Question 3

Through principled negotiation what is the focus of negotiation?

Answer 3

On resolving issues and not on winning temporary advantage over the other party through exploiting home advantage

Question 4

Factors to consider if you have a choice

Answer 4

1. Home
2. Away
3. neutral ground

Question 5

Name 3 benefits to negotiating on home ground

Answer 5

1. Cheaper
2. Easier to schedule
3. More predictable in terms of surroundings

Question 6

Name 3 reasons you may elect to negotiate off-site or at a neutral venue instead of at home ground

Answer 6

1. Unsuitable facilities
2. On-site security
3. Confidentiality restrictions
4. Embarrasingly luxurious offices

Question 7

Is negotiating at home usually more advantageous?

Answer 7

Yes

Question 8

Name an advantage to negotiating away?

Answer 8

You may be able to assess the culture of the organisation

Question 9

Name 3 advantages of negotiating on neutral ground

Answer 9

1. Wide choice of catering
2. Easy access to transport
3. Capability to book hotel rooms for breakouts or overnight stays

Question 10

What is a disadvantage of negotiating on neutral ground

Answer 10

Confidentiality risks of negotiating in public spaces

Question 11

Name 6 benefits of adopting a team approach when negotiating

Answer 11

1. You are less likely to be intimidated
2. You are less likely to make unplanned concessions as your team mates will seek to stop you
3. Individual team members can focus on specific areas
4. You can stage-manage your team and use certain tactical ploys
5. Risk of procurement fraud and sharp practise is reduced and ethical behaviour increased as there are more witnesses
6. Junior or new staff can learn a lot from observing/acting in a note-taking position

Question 12

Name 5 roles you may have in a team negotiation

Answer 12

1. The chair
2. The leading speaker
3. Experts
4. Analyst or observer
5. Scribe/note taker

Question 13

What is the chair in the team negotiation?

Answer 13

The person who controls the negotiation and ensures that everyone has their say on your side

Question 14

What is the leading speaker in the team negotiation

Answer 14

Typically a procurement team member who is articulate and in control of the agenda and objectives

Question 15

Name the 4 dimensions personality preferences are indicated in the Myers-Briggs type indicator

Answer 15

1. Where you focus your attention - extraversion or introversion
2. The way you take in information - sensing or intuition
3. How you make decisions - thinking or feeling
4. How you deal with the world - judging or perceiving

Question 16

Name the 2 learning styles as per Kolb

Answer 16

Perception and processing

Question 17

Name the 4 preferred negotiation styles and explain them briefly

Answer 17

1. Warm - a people person
2. Tough - a hard-nosed negotiator
3. Logic - a numbers person
4. Dealer - a trader who love bargaining

Question 18

Name 6 strengths to the warm negotiation style

Answer 18

1. Friendly and accesisble
2. Good listener
3. Shows concern and empathy
4. Looks for mutual gain
5. Patient/trusting
6. Relates well to people

Question 19

Name 6 weaknesses to the warm negotiation style

Answer 19

1. Too accommodating
2. Loses sight of essentials
3. Finds it difficult to deal with conflict
4. Discloses information too readily
5. May focus too much on personal issues
6. Finds difficulty in dealing with people who do not value personal relationships

Question 20

Name 5 strengths of a tough negotiating style

Answer 20

1. Natural leader/assertive
2. Desire to achieve
3. Persistent
4. Assumes leading role in meetings
5. Decisive and keeps things moving

Question 21

Name 5 weaknesses of a tough negotiating style

Answer 21

1. Adopts rigid positions
2. Can be inflexible
3. Does not build on ideas of others
4. A selective listener
5. Impulsive and can be impatient

Question 22

Name 5 advantages of a logical negotiating style

Answer 22

1. Grasps details
2. Precise
3. Methodical
4. Plans well
5. Always well prepared

Question 23

Name 5 weaknesses of a logical negotiating style

Answer 23

1. Tends to focus on issues and not the people involved
2. Gets too absorbed in the details
3. Cannot readily change styles of persuasion
4. May not see the bigger picture
5. Reaches deadlock more easily

Question 24

Name 5 strengths of the dealer negotiating style

Answer 24

1. Builds relationships
2. Effective communicator
3. Listens to the other party
4. Interrelates issues easily and makes quick decisions
5. Creative/sees opportunities

Question 25

Name 5 weaknesses of the dealer negotiating style

Answer 25

1. Tends to neglect detail
2. May shift position quickly
3. May be superficial in personal relationships
4. Agreements made can be difficult to implement
5. Tends to neglect long-term goals

Question 26

Why may a business seek to conduct a negotiation virtually?

Answer 26

Increased awareness of environmental issues such as unnecessary travel (ESG goals)

Question 27

Name 6 disadvantages of face to face in person meetings

Answer 27

1. In person meetings require your team and the other party to be in the same place at the same time. This is difficult to achieve in todays busy world
2. Someone has to take the time to plan the logistics
3. Travel and accommodation costs to consider
4. Travel or location challenges could lead to delays
5. The importance of physical meetings is overstated in todays digital world
   6, ESG and sustainability considerations

Question 28

What should you do prior to a phone negotiation

Answer 28

Have an agreed and timed agenda with the other party and prepare scripts

Question 29

Name 3 advantages of negotiating over the phone

Answer 29

1. Can meet immediately, facilitating productivity
2. Access to the other party may be easier
3. Location is irrelevant on either side assuming you have an adequate connection

Question 30

Name 4 disadvantages of negotiating over the phone

Answer 30

1. Both sides are more subject to distraction/interruption
2. More prone to errors, omissions or misunderstandings
3. You do not know how confidential the other party’s environment is
4. Mutually agreed record of meeting is more difficult to verify

Question 31

Name 4 advantages of webinars and teleconferencing (audio conferencing)

Answer 31

1. Most organisations can access this service and if you just need to speak with the other party without any visiual link an audio conference is an easy way of doing this imply and efficiently
2. Teleconferencing can provide participants with increased objectivity because they are not distracted by the visual feed provided by webcams or by the meeting participants
3. The use of the mute button can facilitate each side conferring in private with colleagues if required during the meeting
4. If agreed in advance by all parties, the meeting or summing-up stage can be recorded as a true record of what was agreed thereby reducing the risk of mistaken notes or denial by the other party at a later date

Question 32

Name the 4 advantages of webinars, video and web-conferencing

Answer 32

1. Using web cams mean you are able to communicate both verbally and non-verbally
2. It increases engagement
3. It increases productivity
   4.If agreed in advance by all parties, the meeting or summing-up stage can be recorded as a true record of what was agreed thereby reducing the risk of mistaken notes or denial by the other party at a later date

Question 33

Name 2 disadvantages of webinars, video and web-conferencing

Answer 33

1. You and the other party will need access to the communications infrastructure: a dedicated web conference room with the required technology
2. The communications link can break down during the negotiation, and it potentially is more susceptible to hacking if security protocols are not robust