How can you use negotiation to resolve conflicts?

Conflict resolution begins with having a clear understanding of the other side's POV. Once that is established, use your voice to carefully articulate your needs and only then should a negotiation begin. Mastering a negotiation means truly caring that the other person also gets something of value.

Harvard sells heavy on "Principled Negotiation". Focus on principles and not the behaviour or temperament of the negotiator. You may never know if the emotion or anger is real or a mere tactic. If you find the other party emotional or angry, just take leave on some pretext. If they do again then you do again too. Until they reach the realisation that it is not going to work any more.

These principles are well defined and outlined here, however, I would add timing as a factor to take into account whenever negotiating. Timing can impact the negotiating process adding variable that might provide different outcomes.

Normally Conflict only arises when negotiations fail. Before any conflict there are always some kind of back door negotiations going on. It is very important to make the other party understand that these negotiations are beneficial for both the parties In Fact more beneficial for the other party through facts figures and posturing. In a simpler way when you sit for negotiations to end a conflict the only thing to remember is what bare minimum you can accept and what maximum you can give if you have set these boundaries and if what you give is lower than your set limits and what you get is higher than your set limits than you have achieved your goal and will be considered as bonus. feelings and emotions not recommended

Most of the time, people who think you need them and believe they are crucial, assuming that their way is the only way, tend to negotiate more rudely and noisily. To counteract this, it's important to know your counterpart, gather intelligence about their position and attitude. Sometimes, their overconfidence becomes your advantage, allowing you to steer the negotiation more effectively by understanding their mindset and leveraging their weaknesses.

Always apportion some time to understand where the other party is coming from. Which culture, what values and how far in the process they have been. How long the object is on the block and why they may have declined some other suitors. Keep a meeting with them, a first meeting and do not talk business at all. Start talking about their culture, where they believe in and so on. What you may discover to use later you may never know.

A conflict is a situation when both parties don't want to compromise on their expectations. A good negotiator evaluate the situation and will try to conclude the conflict to a win win situation. With lot of questioning, data analysis, communication, negotiation skills you can always try to find the best possible solution to resolve a conflict. You start the conversation with data and listen with an open mind and end the conversation convincingly for the other party to respond with an open mind. Once done you can start negotiating to come to common consensus and finally achieve a win win solution.

Many times, I've had to negotiate with inexperienced people firmly set on enforcing their decisions. On one occasion, the negotiation was crucial for the continuation of our project. The discussion was intense, with much shouting across the table. Realizing the conversation was becoming unproductive, yet unable to walk away, I reached a pivotal moment. I stopped talking and calmly addressed him, stating that continued shouting and enforcing his view would lead us to a stalemate, resulting in a loss for both sides. My bluff was risky but necessary, as he understood his significant potential loss. This realization led him to approach the negotiation more amicably. Negotiation is an essential tool, requiring intelligent courage.

Negotiating tactics rely on your counterpart's cultural background, professionalism, and language skills. Often, you can't choose your negotiation partner, but sometimes you can pick someone from the other side for precise messaging, especially when they, despite being less skilled, hold decision-making authority. Understanding these elements is crucial. Patience, clear communication, emphasizing mutual benefits, and respect are key for positive outcomes. Involving influential members from the opposite side can lead to informed, rational decisions. Success in negotiation depends on adaptability, contextual comprehension, and communication tailored to individual specifics.

Discover what else is important to the other side. In one of the negos seen recently, the seller was not so keen for realising a certain price but was keen to have the family name carry on so when he heard that buyer wanted to perpetuate the legacy he put aside all other competition and sold a notch less.