Everyone’s a comedian so here’s some actual advice.
TLDR: be polite but firm, know what you’re asking for.
Lots of activism and lobbyist groups have the concept of an “ask”, or what you’re attempting to get out of the negotiation. Have a solid, easily understandable ask that is generous enough to withstand a bit of pushback from the other party, who will almost certainly try to negotiate the other direction. Also, when you deliver a statement, question, or ultimatum, wait for the other person to respond to it, even if there’s a couple seconds of silence in between. Conventional wisdom says the one who speaks first in these moments is displaying insecurity and is less sure of their ask or position in the negotiation.
Good advice. It’s also good to have clear boundaries set up. The ideal. The what you expect, and the non negotiable. Start with the ideal. Expecting to get pushed towards what you expect. Never budge on the nonnegotiable.
Silence is a weapon. People don’t like awkward pauses and will talk to fill in the gap and sometimes they end up putting their foot in their mouth.
I use this all the time. At some point in my life I just stopped being uncomfortable with silence, but it drives most people mad.
And it’s not just useful in terms of having an “opponent” stew in some social discomfort.
Use it to take a moment to think. Use it to give the other party time to think. Use it to let your most recent words hang in the air and gain more weight. Etc.
Read some books on the subject
Never Split the Difference might be appropriate. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is a great read. Getting to Yes/Getting Past No may also be decent.
Understand “what kind of cards you’re sitting on”. Before that even happens, ensure that you have good cards
Concrete example: You’re looking to increase your salary. You can do it either by convincing your current workplace to increase it, or you can look for a new job.
The cards you’re sitting on: How valuable you are to the company, and how likely you are to leave if you don’t get what you want.
How to improve your hand before you get to the negotiating table: Try getting some competing offers for jobs.
If you’re the less experienced negotiator, avoid negotiating live
When negotiating salary for a new position, the recruiter likely has far more experience negotiating. They will know techniques to try to get you to commit to a lower number than is possible. To avoid this from happening, move negotiations from in-person/on the phone to email. Give yourself a lot of time to process all information.
thanks for the detail advice, and for books recommendations…
OK but what can you give me in return?
I work in procurement. That means I negotiate with suppliers all day, every day. I’m the one the team calls when they need something fixed, and want something better than using a big hammer or lighting everything on fire.
The absolute best tip was courtesy of my first boss in the field:
"Always be prepared to walk away and say ‘No, thank you’. "
You won’t look weak (except to the wrong people). Instead you’ll come across as empowered, that you know what you want, have no tolerance for games, but also can be trusted. Very few people like people who always say yes, no matter what anxiety says. In order to be here, it’s important to have options and choices you can accept. Be ready to jump rails if it looks like you won’t get your first choice. That’s how good negotiators in my field do it - they have several acceptable options.
It’s still not easy to do. It requires perseverance and flexibility. Allow yourself to practice in lower-risk situations.
owh okay, thanks for the advice… ill keep that in mind…
Fuck no give me a reason to.
How about you give me some tips first, and I’ll consider it?
Perhaps, what are you offering in return?
This gal has a channel devoted to things like this, particularly in regards to career-related settings. Lots of good advice here:
You tell me your best recipe and I’ll tell you a negotiation tip.
From The One Sentence Persuasion Course by Blair Warren: “People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies”
I’ve found this helpful when trying to convince anyone of anything. The book breaks it down more, of course, but is probably not worth reading Vs the various summaries you can find online.
My summary, at least what I took from it is that you must try to understand the person you are negotiating with/pursuading. Figure out what they want, or what they’re afraid of, and offer that.
War negotiating or price negotiating?
The Art of Being Right https://a.co/d/g6Wj4fs
There’s no way I can do that. I’m much too busy shitposting. It would be a huge inconvenience.
