What do you do if your negotiation skills need improvement after a performance evaluation?

1 Identify the gaps

To improve your negotiation skills, the first step is to recognize the areas where you need to develop. You can assess your performance with a review, gain feedback from your manager or peers, or analyze and monitor your own negotiations. Common gaps in negotiation skills can include inadequate preparation and research, communication and listening difficulties, emotional reactions and lack of confidence, inflexibility and difficulty compromising, or a lack of rapport and trust with the other party. After you identify the gaps, you should prioritize them and set achievable goals for growth.

2 Learn from the experts

To further develop your negotiation skills, it is beneficial to learn from the experts. You can do this by reading books, articles, blogs, or podcasts on negotiation techniques, strategies, and best practices. For example, Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury, Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz, Negotiation Genius by Deepak Malhotra and Max Bazerman, or The Harvard Business Review Guide to Negotiating by Jeff Weiss are all reputable sources. Additionally, you can watch videos of successful negotiators such as TED talks, documentaries, or interviews and observe how they prepare, communicate, persuade, and close the deal.

3 Practice, practice, practice

The final step to improve your negotiation skills is to practice, practice, practice. You can do this by finding opportunities to negotiate in your daily life, such as with your family, friends, or service providers. You can also join a negotiation club, workshop, or course, where you can practice with other learners and get feedback from instructors or mentors. You can also simulate real-life scenarios with your colleagues or peers, and role-play different situations, styles, and outcomes.

The more you practice, the more you will develop your negotiation skills and confidence. You will also learn from your mistakes and successes, and apply them to your future negotiations.

Improving your negotiation skills after a performance evaluation may seem daunting, but it is not impossible. By following these tips, you can turn a negative feedback into a positive learning experience, and enhance your professional and personal relationships.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?