NEGOTIATION SKILLS FOR NONPROFITS & INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
The training in summary:
Negotiation is at the core of leadership competency. This is an intensive two-day training, originally organised as an open subscription training in partnership with Initiatives of Change, Switzerland. The training is now available as an in-company training for nonprofits and international organisations.
In the training you learn insights and practice skills to deal with everyday as well as complex negotiation challenges. Whether you are fundraising, managing projects, steering communications or advising on governance or HR, this training is for you. Practicing is at the heart of this training, including through the multi-party Abraham Path negotiation simulation.
One of the venues we recommend as a site for this training is the beautiful Caux Palace above Lake Geneva, the historic venue provides ample opportunity for inspiring conversations, critical reflection and meeting peers whose work, like yours, revolves around making the world a better place. In consultation with you, we can organise this training at other venues as well. We also have an online equivalent.
The training is based on the Harvard school of principled negotiation as first introduced over three decades ago by Fisher and Ury's Getting to Yes; negotiating agreement without giving in. The two days zoom in on managing substance, relationships and process aspects of negotiation simultaneously. This program is designed for professionals working for nonprofits and international organisations operating on a global scale. The small group size and individual intake ensure the training is tailor-made to the everyday practical needs of participants.
Number of participants: 6-12
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What is the impact?
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Participants are able to prepare themselves for important negotiations and advise or coach colleagues on key aspects of preparation.
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Participants are able to respond to difficult people or context with more negotiation agility, allowing them to have more control over process, relationships and substance.
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Participants understand where power comes from in negotiation and know how to respond to situations in which power is not evenly shared amongst parties.
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Participants have more tools to influence the behaviour of others at the table or away from the table.
The training gave very useful tools to help manage any professional or personal conflict, with practical exercises and accurate feedback allowing an interesting self assessment and quick implementation for noticeable results.
Maude Pittet Nazareno, ICRC
How can nonprofit professionals provide leadership in situations where multiple stakeholders hold a variety of opposing views? How can one influence complex processes, even when not formally in charge? Negotiation skills are at the heart of your growth as a leader. Whether you are managing projects, negotiating agreements with third parties, steering communications, fundraising, maintaining international relations or advising on governance or HR, this training is for you.
We negotiate all the time. Whether it is with colleagues, supervisors or board members, with consultants or external partners, with government agencies or international organisations, with institutional donors or individual philanthropists, or even with ourselves. Negotiation skills are key to navigate different interests, manage challenging relationships and steer complex processes in the right direction.
In this 2-day training for professionals from nonprofits and international organisations, we will teach you practical negotiation tools and insights based on the Harvard negotiation principles. Through interactive exercises, group discussion and a multiparty multi-issue negotiation simulation participants explore their strengths and weaknesses, and learn from negotiation with one another.
What can you expect from the training?
In the training you will learn how to:
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Go beyond your gut feeling/intuition and apply structure to negotiation preparation.
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Recognise different styles to conflict, including your own.
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Clarify interests and alternatives, both for yourself and your counterpart.
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Structure negotiations "at the table "and take control of the process.
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Respond to challenges arising from pressure, emotions or issues of process.
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Verify whether an emerging agreement is a good deal.
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Put a helpful "negotiation lens" on aspects of your work that you thought had little relation to negotiation.
Training elements
Preparation
You fill out the online pre-training survey on your professional negotiation context and your preferred conflict style(s). Subseqeuently, an intake interview with the trainer takes place, allowing the build up and design of the training to fit your needs and those of the group. The trainer provides you with a brief "homework" assignment prior to the training.
Training days and book
Upon arrival in Caux (afternoon) or alternative venue you will meet the trainer(s) and your co-participants over light refreshments. In the Caux version of this training, the first afternoon includes a light introduction into everyday negotiation and leadership dilemma's we all face, a guided tour of the beautiful Caux Palace and its surroundings and a welcome dinner at the Palace.
On the first full day of training you learn about key concepts in negotiation through a number of interactive role-play exercises and group discussion on the principles of negotiation theory. Participants connect theory and the experience in the exercises to their own professional practice. Weather permitting, sessions inside will be alternated with session outside, including short walks in the beautiful surroundings of Caux.
At the end of day 1 you prepare for a multiparty international NGO negotiation simulation inspired on the Abraham Path, a project founded at the Harvard Program on Negotiation. This simulation will start at the opening of day 2. After an extensive round of trainer and peer-to-peer feedback on the simulation, the remainder of day 2 is spent on deepening insights and practising skills on challenging "at-the-table" moments in negotiation.
Evaluation, application, coaching
Negotiation & Public Service evaluates the quality of the training and the results at two points. At the end of day 2, participants fill in an anonymous evaluation form. 60 days after the training, a second survey measures the degree to which you apply key skills and insights. This also works as a refresher on the principles at the heart of negotiation competence. The training also includes a post-training coaching session on a negotiation challenge faced by individual participants for up to 12 months after the training. Participants who are not satisfied with the training are provided a 100% refund of their training fee.
Would you like to know more about this training, please get in touch with us through the contact form.
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