Do you have difficulty with negotiations? Do it for yourself!

Why is it that some people are so difficult? They might be mad at you. Perhaps they don’t like working on this project. Perhaps they are trying to hide something else. There are many possibilities.
You know that they are preventing you from moving forward. Whenever any type of negotiation is necessary, you know that the person will create some kind of barrier.
This is a serious hindrance to your success.
You are determined to stop this from happening. You have a project you need to manage and a budget to follow. You don’t have the time to put up barriers. Guess what, my friend? You must make time to remove barriers. People who are difficult to negotiate with will put up barriers. There are five main barriers you will encounter in negotiations. You can guess the first barrier.
Y-O–U is the first barrier on this list. You might be thinking, “Hey, I don’t even know you.” How can you possibly know that I am the problem? You don’t need to know me to understand that it is human nature for people to feel upset when they are not cooperating with us. This is especially true if you believe that this is not the first or second time. It would be difficult to prevent it from creating a barrier with all that you have going on in your head. You need a breakthrough, not barriers.
The first step to negotiating with someone difficult is to control your emotions. You want to feel like you are sitting next each other, that you are on the exact same side. You can’t do that unless you allow yourself to calm down. Take a break. Don’t respond in anger, spite, or an urge for revenge. Don’t respond unless you are able to do so in a calm, even tone.
Once you’re able to do this, you will be able to sit on the same side. Next, you will want to be on their side. It is about understanding the situation from their point of view and stepping up to their side. It’s about trusting that you can reach an agreement. It’s about finding common ground, things you can agree upon, even if the situation is difficult. This is a good start. Together you have reached an understanding. This agreement may open the door to other agreements. It also allows you to show each other that you are not always fighting.
Take a look at the following quote:
“It is not advisable to confront passions and prejudices head-on. It is better to accept them than to fight them. You must be able to sail with a contra-wind and to tack until you meet a wind in the right direction. – Fortune de Felice, 1778
Once you have managed your emotions and stepped up to their side, you can sit side-by side and work together as partners. You will encounter more obstacles when you negotiate with this difficult person. Each barrier requires a breakthrough. You are more than capable to facilitate a breakthrough.
Are you curious about the four other barriers? I hope you will come to the PMI-OC Building Leaders for Business conference, September 10, 2016. We will discuss the remaining obstacles and offer some tips to help overcome them. To learn more, click here or copy and paste the link into your favorite browser. http://www.pmi-oc.org/conference
We look forward to seeing you soon!