Course Highlights
This basic negotiation training course will:
- Define negotiation and explore the range of negotiable issues.
- Introduce critical questions and strategies for deciding negotiation outcomes.
- Walk participants through a structured eight-step negotiation process.
- Provide guidelines for effective concessions and techniques to close negotiations.
- Discuss common tactics used in negotiations and how to respond effectively.
Program Overview
“Give and Take: Negotiation Fundamentals” is an engaging half-day workshop offering participants the foundational tools they need to handle negotiations confidently and effectively.
The course begins where every negotiation begins: with clarity about what is actually on the table. Participants will define negotiation, explore what is and is not negotiable, and examine the core principles that separate productive negotiations from ones that stall, sour, or leave value behind. Three critical questions help participants assess what they are actually working with before they make a move: how important is the issue, how important is the relationship, and how much does time pressure shape what is possible.
From there, the program introduces a strategic thinking tool for mapping best-case scenarios, likely outcomes, walk-away points, and fallback alternatives. That preparation work feeds directly into an eight-step negotiation process that gives participants a structured approach to replace reactive instinct with a method they can repeat.
The second half of the day focuses on the mechanics that most negotiators handle inconsistently: concessions, closure, and tactics. Participants will examine guidelines for making concessions that maintain value while keeping the conversation moving, practice closing techniques for negotiations that end at agreement and for those that do not, and learn to recognize the tactics that show up most often across negotiation contexts and respond to them without rewarding the behavior.
Throughout the program, “The Encore Agreement: Prime Dates and Profit” serves as the central role-play case study. Participants will apply the tools they learn in each module to a realistic negotiation scenario and experience the give-and-take of an actual exchange before they encounter it in their own work.
The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).
Program Objectives
At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Define negotiation and describe its core components.
- Identify what is negotiable and what factors influence negotiation success.
- Ask three questions to assess the importance of the issue, relationship, and time in negotiations.
- Use a strategic thinking tool to outline best-case scenarios, likely outcomes, walk-away points, and alternatives.
- Follow an eight-step process for structured negotiations.
- Apply effective concession guidelines to manage give-and-take.
- Choose and execute appropriate closing techniques.
- Recognize and respond to common negotiation tactics.
Workshop Modules
What Do You Know?: Defining Negotiation
The workshop opens by establishing a working definition of negotiation and connecting it to the full range of situations participants already encounter in professional life. Negotiation is not limited to formal contract discussions or large dollar amounts. It happens in scheduling conversations, scope adjustments, resource requests, and any exchange where two or more parties need to reach a shared decision. The group will examine what is and is not negotiable, the core factors that lead to successful outcomes, and the distinction between a position, what someone asks for, and an interest, the reason behind the ask. Understanding that difference changes how negotiators listen and how they respond. Participants will share examples from their own work and begin building a shared vocabulary that the rest of the program depends on.
Three Critical Questions: Assessing Negotiation Priorities
Before any negotiation begins, three questions shape what strategy makes sense. How important is the issue at stake? How important is the ongoing relationship with the other party? How much does timing affect what is possible? The answers to these questions are not always obvious, and they can shift as a negotiation unfolds. A deal that seems transactional at the start may carry significant relationship implications. A conversation with a soft deadline can become urgent when circumstances change. Participants will apply the three questions to a set of realistic scenarios and practice using the answers to determine which aspects of a negotiation are fixed, which are flexible, and what that means for how they approach the conversation.
Setting the Stage: Preparation for Success
Most negotiation problems start before anyone sits down, in the preparation work that did not happen. This module examines what thorough preparation looks like and why it matters more than most negotiators realize. The group will explore how to gather information about the other side’s priorities, constraints, and likely positions before a negotiation begins, and how to use that information to plan opening moves, questions, and responses. Participants will also examine how rapport is built and why the relationship work that happens before the first number is on the table often determines how much flexibility both sides are willing to show when the conversation gets difficult. Using “The Encore Agreement: Prime Dates and Profit” case, participants will begin preparing for the role-play exercise that will run throughout the program.
Strategic Thinking Tool: Best, Likely, Walk-Away, and Plan B
Skilled negotiators enter every conversation knowing four things: the best outcome they can realistically hope for, the outcome they are most likely to achieve given what they know, the point below which no agreement is better than any agreement, and the alternative they will pursue if the negotiation fails. This module introduces a strategic thinking tool that maps all four positions before a conversation begins. Participants will use the tool to analyze the Encore Agreement scenario, identify where their interests and the other party’s interests may overlap, and determine what information they still need before they can negotiate confidently. The group will also examine how these positions shift as a negotiation progresses and what it means for strategy when the other side’s walk-away point becomes visible.
The Eight-Step Process: Structured Negotiation Approach
This module introduces the eight-step negotiation framework that turns preparation into structured execution. Each step is designed to move the conversation forward while keeping both parties oriented toward an agreement rather than a contest. The group will examine what each step accomplishes, what typically happens when a step is skipped or rushed, and how the sequence supports the relationship even when the terms are difficult. Participants will map the Encore Agreement negotiation against the eight steps and identify which stages feel most natural and which require the most deliberate attention. The framework is a tool for consistency, not a script, and the discussion will address how to stay inside the structure when the other side moves unexpectedly.
Concession Guidelines: Managing Give-and-Take
Concessions are not just what you give up. They are signals. The timing, size, and sequencing of every concession communicates something about confidence, flexibility, and remaining room. This module examines guidelines for making concessions that maintain value while keeping the conversation moving toward agreement. Participants will explore how to recognize and rank what they have available to trade, how to ask for something in return without creating friction, and how to read the concessions the other side makes for information about their actual position. The group will also examine anchoring, the effect of the first number on the table, and how to set and respond to anchors so that the midpoint of the negotiation lands closer to their target. Participants will apply the guidelines to the Encore Agreement scenario and practice the language that keeps concessions from being read as weakness.
Closing Techniques: Getting to Agreement
Getting to yes is only part of the work. Closing a negotiation badly, leaving terms vague, missing what still needs to be confirmed, or failing to account for what happens when immediate agreement is not reached, can unravel an outcome both sides thought was settled. This module examines a range of closing techniques suited to different negotiation situations, including negotiations that reach agreement in the room, those that need a follow-up step, and those that end without resolution and must preserve the possibility of returning to the table. Participants will practice selecting and executing the appropriate close for each stage of the Encore Agreement scenario and examine what documentation and follow-through are needed to make the outcome durable after the conversation ends.
Tactics to Watch For: Recognizing and Responding
Skilled negotiators recognize manipulation when they see it and respond without rewarding it. This closing module identifies the tactics that appear most often across negotiation contexts: artificial urgency designed to force a premature decision, extreme anchoring intended to shift the midpoint of a negotiation, the strategic walk-away that tests whether the other side will follow, and others. For each tactic, participants will examine what it is designed to accomplish, how to recognize it in the moment, and what response protects their position without escalating the conversation unnecessarily. The group will also examine the common internal pitfalls that derail negotiators from within, including the tendency to focus only on their own side of the table and to let stated positions crowd out the underlying interests that could open up agreement. The workshop closes with individual reflection on the two or three practices each participant will apply in their next negotiation.
Target Audience
This workshop is designed for groups that want to:
- Build foundational negotiation skills for professional and personal use.
- Gain a structured approach to preparing and executing negotiations.
- Develop strategies for managing concessions and closing negotiations effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should attend this negotiation fundamentals workshop?
This half-day course works well for professionals who are newer to formal negotiation or who have been negotiating by instinct and want a more structured approach. It is a strong fit for individual contributors, coordinators, account managers, and team leads who handle vendor conversations, client discussions, internal resource requests, or scope adjustments as a regular part of their work.
Is this course appropriate for people with no formal negotiation training?
Yes. The program is designed as a foundation. It assumes no prior exposure to negotiation frameworks and builds from the ground up. Participants who have some experience will find the structure clarifying. Those with no prior training will leave with more than enough to begin negotiating more effectively immediately.
What is “The Encore Agreement: Prime Dates and Profit” case study?
It is a role-play scenario that runs throughout the workshop and gives participants a realistic negotiating situation to work through as they learn each tool. Rather than reviewing frameworks in the abstract, participants apply them to the case in real time, experiencing the give-and-take of an actual negotiation before they encounter those dynamics in their own work.
How long is the workshop?
This is a half-day program. It can be delivered in a morning or afternoon block and works well as a standalone session or as part of a broader learning day.
Can this course be customized for our organization?
Yes. We adjust the scenarios, examples, and emphasis to reflect your industry and the kinds of negotiations your team manages most often. Tell us what your group negotiates and where the current process tends to break down, and we will shape the half day accordingly.
What is the difference between this course and the full-day or two-day negotiation programs?
Give and Take covers the fundamentals: definitions, preparation, process, concessions, closing, and tactics. The full-day and two-day programs go deeper into style assessment, trust and power analysis, the TIPO framework, information-gathering techniques, cross-cultural negotiation, team negotiations, and extended simulation. For groups that need a solid foundation quickly, the half-day format is the right starting point. For groups ready to build advanced skill, the longer programs offer more depth and practice.