INTRODUCTION
Short Information Report by Shannon Hamid
Negotiation is very important in the workplace. It is the stepping-stone that can get
you to where you want to be. Some people are born negotiators. Negotiation is not a
bad action and it does not reflect if a person is being grateful or not, negotiation is
part of business skills that are needed. This report will discuss about a short video
by Margaret Neale from Stanford about negotiating to get what you want and a
chapter by Kim Keating titled “Negotiate Your Salary.” Both resources talk about the
steps that one needs to take in order to achieve a successful negotiation.
BODY
Negotiating to Get What You Want
In a video titled “Negotiation: Getting What You Want” by Margaret Neale, it is said
that negotiation’s goal is not to get an agreement or a deal, the goal is to get a good
deal. Negotiation is a method to solve problem, a way to collaborate so that both
parties get what they want without disadvantaging the other. Before making a
negotiation, three pieces of information are needed: alternatives, reservation, and
aspiration. It is extremely important to know about our other alternatives in case
this negotiation fails. Secondly, we need to know about our reservation price is,
which is the point that we are indifferent and the point where we know when to say
yes or no. The third one is about aspiration, what is an optimistic assessment of it of
what it is we can achieve if this negotiation fails.
After gathering all these three pieces information, plan your negotiation. There are
four steps in the planning process and the first step is to assess the situation.
Observe the situation and see if you can influence or make an outcome, change the
outcome to make you better off and weigh the benefits of the outcome with the cost.
Second, prepare the situation. Understand what our interests are and understand
our preferences deeply. The third step is to ask; engage with your counterpart and
be unique in order to create value. Last but not least is to package your negotiation
and make a bundle of alternatives.
Negotiating a Salary
Negotiation skills are critical in every aspect of our lives. Learning how to negotiate
can mean the difference between accepting what comes your way and getting what
you want in your life. Moreover, the sad fact is that gender inequality is still out
there in some workplaces. A recent study found that women in their first year out of
college were paid eighty-two cents for every dollar paid to their male peers. This
gap is caused by number of factors: outright discrimination, gender indifferences in
college majors and occupation, the number of hours men and women work, and
women negotiation less often than men. Sad but true, women don’t negotiate.
Women often underestimate their abilities, they focus too much on pleasing others,
settling for what other people think, and too much of the time, they are grateful for
anything they get. So becoming aware of the special challenges women face in
negotiation is the first step to overcoming them.
There are four steps that can help someone to reach their compensation goals, and
the first one is to find information about both parties. Find about what’s the current
salary for the same job, field, experience, companies, etc. Second is to know when to
speak up; do not discuss compensation until you have an offer. The goal of
negotiating a salary is to avoid the salary until you have an offer. The third one is to
know the situation; now hat you’ve got an offer, it’s time to negotiate. Writing a
script beforehand and practice is recommended in this situation. You have to know
where do you want to take the conversations. If you don’t like the offer, do not be
afraid to reject it. It is actually recommended to decline the first offer; however, you
have to make a counteroffer. The last step is very critical in negotiating, it is to make
a decision whether you accept it or walk away. If you decide to accept, do so with
enthusiasm. However, if you decide to reject the offer, do so graciously.
CONCLUSION
All in all, negotiation is a crucial skill that is now needed in the business world.
Negotiation can be used not only to negotiate about salary, but can also be used to
get a deal with companies or other benefits. Sad but true, as a woman I feel that I do
not like to negotiate because I feel probably I deserve what I get and I do not know
how to package my negotiation. After watching the video and reading the chapter, I
feel more powerful. The story of Margaret Neale inspires me to stand on your
ground and negotiate to get what you want. Even though both resources talk about
different steps to plan your negotiation, I like the way Kim Keating organized her
thought better. I will apply her four steps of negotiation, which first I have to find
information about both parties, do not discuss compensation until I’ve got an offer,
negotiate, then decide if I want to take the offer or not.