Very few people are able to stand and present confidently, clearly and credibly the first time they have to present. Everyone, even the best conference presenters have nerves. In fact, the best speakers need that rush of adrenalin to provide the energy that sparks and inspires an audience. So, how do you acquire these skills? Actually, the only real way is to practice and practice and practice and then present, present, present. There is one technique that I have found very useful. Usually it is the “getting started” that is the most difficult part. I advise people to first learn their opening speech by heart. This allows the mouth to perform whilst the brain and emotions settle down. To help with remembering, use the acronym INTRO. This stands for:-

1. I = interest. Start with a sentence that gets the attention of the audience. A little-known fact, (I don’t advise a joke) or an interesting anecdote.

2. N = need. Why does the audience need to hear your presentation?

3. T = title. Sometimes this is forgotten because the presenter is so familiar with it – or it sits at the back of the presenter as slide wallpaper.

4. R = range. Outline what you are and are not going to cover. This saves people sitting waiting or interrupting you to ask a question that you are going to answer later.

5. O = objective. What points are you trying to get across? What will they know by the end of your presentation?

An Intro as above will clearly outline your topic and manage expectations. More importantly, it will support you in the opening sequence of your presentation and go a long way to establishing your credibility as a presenter.

As sated, practice leads to confidence. First you have to “act” confident, then as you practice, it becomes more real for you. Joining a Speakers Club to regularly practice in a friendly environment will significantly enhance your confidence and therefore your presentation performance.

The section above focuses on what you say, however, how you say it also matters. Lower your voice tone. 30% of what an audience takes in comes from communication. Dropping your voice one level at the start will allow your voice to raise an octive if your throat tightens, with no obvious change perceived by the audience. Record your voice, listen to it and make changes to the aspects you wish to improve.

Finally, look at online support. www.confidenceclub.net offers questionnaires, articles and other techniques. If you are letting yourself down by not presenting well, you should view seeking help as a business requirement not a personal one.

There are a number of differences between a college Microsoft PowerPoint presentation and a presentation created for your work. A lot of these tips might seem like common sense, but it is the finer points of a presentation that your audience will pick up on, and which will define how much they take from it and if they take it seriously.

The following is a checklist containing the more common points to look for when creating a presentation for your work. It is a good idea to print something like this out and go over it before you turn your presentation in for any kind of review.

• Use a Template – If you can, you should use the standard template that your company, project, etc. uses for PowerPoint presentations when creating your own presentation. This is what your audience will most likely be expecting, and if not (for instance in the case of a new client) this is what you want them to expect from here on out.
• Consistent Font Style – You should use a consistent font style throughout your presentation. Places where exceptions to this rule could occur are:
  • Cover Slide – The first slide in your presentation will usually have fonts, etc. that are not found in the rest of your presentation. This is fine, as it can be standard slide for your company’s presentations, or just the standard for your project. It also can be the attention grabber for the presentation, so you will actually want it to stand out.
  • Headers/Footers – The header and/or footer for each slide is usually part of the template that you and your company use for PowerPoint presentations, so it is most likely not going to be in the same font as the body of your slides.

  Other than the above two examples, you should use a consistent font style across sections of your slides. For example, your body text on each slide should share the same font, as well as any headers or footers that exist outside of your template.

• Refrain from using Clip Art – While it may seem ingenious at the time to make a slide with a big “Idea” light bulb on it, it won’t win you any points with your audience. Clip Art is very generic and really adds nothing to the presentation, it just clutters it up. On the other hand, if you want to use actual pictures of your subject matter, that’s fine.
• Use Bulleted Thoughts – One of the biggest mistakes that you can make when putting a presentation together is putting too much information on the slide. This usually occurs when paragraphs are used instead of concise and bulleted thoughts. The point of each slide is not to be a Word document; it is just supposed to have points that you can talk to while doing your presentation. Too much information per slide will quickly cause your audience to lose interest and you can pretty much give up hope of them walking away having learned anything. Be concise, and strive to only bring across your main points to each slide.
• Get Peer Reviewed – This is probably the most important piece of advice to remember. Before you turn your work in, you should always get it peer reviewed as well as reading it through yourself. It’s easy to get lost in your project when you’ve been “in the weeds” for a long time, so it’s always a good idea to take a step back and have somebody else take a look at it. It’s also a good idea to put it away for a little bit and then go through the presentation again yourself to get a fresh perspective on it.

The above tips are a good start to a checklist that you can use before you turn in any of your presentations. You should add to it with information specific to your job. This will save everybody review and revision time and make your first draft that much better.

If you are looking to communicate your business ideas to an audience of potential customers then an audio visual presentation is an extremely powerful tool. A well prepared combination of visuals and sound will make a much more impact than a speech, brochure or advert. Don’t get fooled into thinking that throwing together any old mixture of pictures and sound will help your presentation to stand our as your message will only make the required impact if it is conveyed correctly and effectively to your intended audience. As part of your successful presentation it is essential that you use appropriate audio visual equipment. There are plenty of audio visual equipment hire companies out there so you need not worry about lightening your wallet too much when it comes to putting together that all important presentation. With all that sorted all you need to worry about is the content of the speech itself. Here are a few pointers to ensure that your presentation runs smoothly.

It is important that you consider the theme of your talk carefully so that it doesn’t come across as muddled or ambiguous. The title of your presentation should leave your audience in no doubt as to what they will be hearing about of the course of the following few minutes. This will help your audience to prepare themselves mentally, increasing the effectiveness of the presentation.

When considering the theme of your talk it is important to also take into consideration the level at which to pitch your talk. Do you assume that your audience will have a certain amount of technical knowledge or familiarity with your sector of work or should you pitch the presentation for a lay audience. If there are large amounts of technical information of data then try to break it down in to simple bullet points or tables so that the key facts are easily digestible. The basic idea is to convey the most important points of your presentation in a manner that will not confuse your audience. Try to avoid language that is overly reliant on jargon and elaborate where appropriate.

If you are looking to sell a product or service then try to back up your opinions with appropriate statistics so that your pitch is more likely to persuade the listener. Well thought out and researched figures will make the difference between what the audience perceives as opinion and what they perceive as fact.

Another important element to consider is the length of your presentation. Not only will this help you to plan which key points to convey within your talk, but it will help to keep the presentation short and punchy. There may be several points which you wish to convey, however a protracted speech may have the effect of boring your audience and turning them off what you have to say. At the start of your talk outline the points which you will be putting across throughout the course of the presentation so that the listeners will be able to assess how long they expect to be sat down for.

Technological advances have completely revolutionized the world of today. People have determined the latest ground breaking methods of transmitting information. By the use of cutting-edge technology, people are in a position to put on view data and information in a way that renders it quite simple for a person to follow. On of the most popular programs that people make use of these days to convey data to other people is by means of a PPT presentation.

PPT presentations on emotional intelligence are in great demand these days. The reason for this is that the latest studies have revealed the significance of emotional intelligence in achieving success. Businesses are keen to know everything about emotional intelligence since it would be a decisive factor in their growth. Educational institutions are eager to accumulate further knowledge about emotional intelligence as it could possibly contain the solution to apposite methods of instruction that make the best use of a student’s potential to learn.

Emotional intelligence has extremely encouraging prospects. People are rummaging around every nook and cranny for PPT presentations on emotional intelligence. Now the reason for this is that the world over, people are hooked onto the concept of emotional intelligence. They are very interested in getting a clearer picture in relation to it.

Certainly, a person who is required to make a presentation or give a lecture on the topic can always check out the web and download some PPT presentations on emotional intelligence. Nonetheless, if you wish to transform into an eloquent orator, you have to develop your own body of work and not quote from someone else’s write-up. PPT presentations on emotional intelligence should be comprehensively studied by you.

The only way you can get around doing this is by making your own PPT presentation on emotional intelligence.
Now, this is quite an easy thing to perform. A person is just required to be familiar with the elementary features of a PPT presentation on emotional intelligence.

Essentials of a PPT Presentation on Emotional Intelligence:

a. Visuals:

The moment you kick off your presentation, people’s attention should be riveted to the screen. You definitely would hate it if people’s eyes strayed to glance at their watches, or to examine their mobiles when you got the presentation underway. You should insert attention-grabbing visuals into the presentation to capture the audience’s interest very early.

Usually a presentation or a lecture is attended by people, who have some preconceived notions about them. There are people who occupy their chairs and believe that they are in for a long-winded lecture or a mind-numbing presentation. You need to navigate this kind of attitude and positively knock them for a six with your stunning presentation.

b. Information:

Obviously, if people thirsted for entertainment, they need to just switch on the television or perhaps go to a theatre. People attend presentations in order to be in the loop. The moment you are certain that the coast is clear, you need to display the information that is sought after by people. You should carry out a detailed study but you should not introduce excessive technicalities in the presentation. You should make it possible to communicate the information in such way that it prolongs the interest of the people and makes them want to view the presentation from start to finish.

c. Sounds:

Acoustics form an extremely essential part of the PPT presentation on emotional intelligence. It is the sound quality, which gets the audience to sit back, relax, and give themselves over completely to the presentation. It grabs their attention and leaves them asking for more. By adopting the right acoustics, you will make the audience be thoroughly engrossed in the information being spewed out in the screen. Great sound effects also cut out ennui that is a regular feature of PPT presentations.

Now, the actual secret to a successful presentation on emotional intelligence is seizing the audience’s interest and retaining it. To bring this about, you personally have to possess emotional intelligence. You should be tuned in to an audience’s responses. If people are getting to feel just a little bored, you should increase the tempo and when people are eager to learn more, you need to take the time to address each query patiently.

Here are my answers to seven questions on presentation that I’m often asked.

When should I allow for questions in a presentation?

This is dependent upon the presentation and the audience.

Sometimes you may want your audience members to ask questions as you progress through your presentation. This can be a way to engage your group.

At other times you may wish to leave all questions to the end – especially if you’re limited in the time to present.

Whichever format you choose, ensure that you let your audience members know before you begin your presentation. They will appreciate the guidelines that you set.

How can I keep a presentation on track?

If you’re delivering a presentation at a team meeting which involves discussions at certain points then it’s important to keep the group focused on the agenda for that meeting.

Your audience members may go off on tangents. It’s up to you as the person facilitating that session to keep everyone focused on the topic at hand.

This can be achieved by:

• Asking closed questions to bring the topic back to the point where you want everyone to be at in the presentation.
• Acknowledging the fact that the discussion is heading in a different direction and due to time constraints these points may need to be discussed at another time. Then quickly review where you were at in your presentation and continue on.

What do I do to avoid members of the audience jumping ahead to aspects of my presentation before I reach it?

Members of your audience will probably not realise that they are jumping ahead in your presentation. Acknowledge the question and inform them that you will cover it during the presentation.

When you arrive at that point, check with the person that you have answered the question to their satisfaction.

How can I stop the nerves before speaking?

Nerves are natural and we all feel them before speaking to a group. It’s about using the nervous energy to energise us and not paralyse us.

There are a number of ways to deal with nerves. One in particular is to relax your body through breathing. When we’re nervous we tend to take shallow breaths. We want oxygen to be travelling to the brain so that we can think clearly while speaking and to be able to answer any questions in a logical manner.

Breathing also relaxes the muscles and helps to calm the voice – you want to have a natural and conversational tone when speaking as this will help you to connect with your audience.

How can I overcome having a dry throat when I speak?

A dry throat is usually a symptom of nerves. Have a glass of room-temperature water or a warm drink nearby. This helps to lubricate the throat.

Avoid iced water as this can constrict the throat and your pitch may rise.

Do you have any tips on how to construct an answer to a question either during or at the end of a presentation?

Yes I do! In my article, The Dreaded Q & A – How to think on your feet I’ve outlined how to confidently answer questions while thinking on your feet.

This takes practise so take any opportunity that may arise – whether it’s in a business or social situation. After a while, you’ll find it easier to do without having to spend too much time thinking about it.

Should I use PowerPoint in my presentation?

It’s up to you as to whether or not to use PowerPoint slides in your presentation. An important point to remember is that PowerPoint slides are only a visual aid to you as the speaker. Their purpose is to add impact to what you, the speaker, is saying.

The question to ask yourself is: Will the use of PowerPoint slides add value to my presentation?

If the answer is yes then ensure that you follow some golden rules when compiling your slides.

Do you have any questions regarding your upcoming presentation that you’d like answered?

Here’s a question for you: Do you wish you had more debt than you do now, or less? I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you said “less.” Am I right?

It is only common sense that the higher your debt is, the more likely you are to have trouble with it. If your debt is currently higher than you would like, one of your options for lowering it is to negotiate a debt settlement.

Let me tell you right up front, however, that negotiating debt settlements is not one of the easiest tasks you will ever undertake. In fact, it’s really quite difficult. You will need to contact the collections department for each of your credit cards and attempt to talk them into accepting less than what you actually owe on your account. And if that sounds like an unpleasant thing to do, just imagine doing it over and over again, for each account you need to settle. However, losing everything of value that you own, destroying your credit rating, and declaring bankruptcy isn’t exactly a walk in the park either. So, even though it’s a difficult and scary thing to do, it’s far better to contact your creditors and attempt to negotiate than it is to just cross your fingers and hope for the best… ’cause the “best” just won’t happen on its own.

Let’s stop for a moment and define exactly what it is we are talking about. A debt settlement is not simply lowering the interest rate on your loan. It’s also not a consolidation, where you lump all your outstanding balances together so that you only make one smaller and more affordable payment over a longer length of time. While both of those alternatives may be viable options for some people, a debt settlement involves actually reducing the total amount you owe. The credit card company simply writes it off, and agrees to accept a smaller sum — in many cases MUCH smaller — as payment in full on your account.

Here’s one more thing you need to be aware of when negotiating debt settlements: once you come to an agreement with the credit card company, the amount you’ve agreed to pay to settle your account is due in full. That means within 30 to 60 days you need to be able to produce a remittance that will completely pay off your account. However, if you’ve done a good job in your negotiations, this amount will be significantly less than what you currently owe — 40% to 65% less! So do the math: if you currently owe $10,000 on your MasterCard account, you could negotiate a settlement for $3,500… saving yourself a whopping $6,500! And that’s just one account. Imagine if you owe more money on several accounts, and are able to successfully negotiate debt settlements on each of them. Wouldn’t that be a significant weight off your shoulders, and well worth the pain of dealing with all those collection departments?

Now be aware that your creditors are not always amenable to accepting settlements, for several reasons. First of all, they are losing money. Yes, they can write it off as a cost of doing business and offset the loss to some extent. But it’s certainly not their preferred way of handling customer accounts. In fact, if they think they can string you along and keep you making small payments, charging you late fees and outrageous interest rates, they would much rather do that. So unless you can convince them that you are on the verge of financial ruin, they will make it impossible for you to settle. However, if you do too good a job and they think there really is a chance you will file for bankruptcy, they may just turn your account over to their legal department immediately, so they have a better chance of being first in line to get whatever money is available from you. So you see, it’s a fine line you need to walk when you try to negotiate debt settlements.

In conclusion, I’d like to point out that the task of negotiating debt settlements is not for the faint of heart. You will need to be very discerning and possessed of excellent bargaining skills in order to get a good outcome. That’s one of the best reasons why, for some people, it makes sense to get help from a neutral third party. There are organizations staffed with people who negotiate credit card settlements for a living. These folks know exactly what they are doing, what each individual credit card company is likely to accept, and can almost always get you a much better deal than you would get on your own.

So if you decide to try it yourself, make sure to do your research and learn as much about the process as you can. But also realize that there may be a big advantage in getting a professional involved right from the start, in order to save as much money as you possibly can.

Let me tell you how to conclude negotiations very effectively. You don’t have to use it when the other person is negotiating in good faith with you. You use it only when you feel that the other side is simply grinding away to get the last penny off your price. Or when you know that the other person wants to do business with you, but she’s thinking, “How much would I be making per hour, if I spent a little more time negotiating with this person?”

Let’s say that a group of friends got together and bought a cabin in the mountains to use for a vacation home. The friends got together on the investment and they’re sharing the use of it. One partner drops out of the syndication and your neighbor comes to you and tells you about the cabin in the mountains. Your initial reaction to this is, “This sounds fantastic. I’d love to do something like that.” However, you’re smart enough to play the Reluctant Buyer Gambit so you say, “I appreciate your telling me about that, but I just don’t think we’d be interested right now. I’m so busy I don’t think we’d have the time to get up there. But look, just to be fair to you, what is the very lowest price that you would sell a share in the home for?”

He’s been studying negotiating too, however, and he’s learned that you should never be the first one to name the price. So he says, “We have a committee that decides on the price and I don’t know what that price would be. I can take them a proposal, but I don’t know what the reaction would be.”

When you press him a little more, he finally says, “I’m pretty sure that they’re going to be asking $10,000.”

This is a lot less than you expected. You were willing to go to $15,000. So your initial reaction is to jump at it right away, but you’re smart enough to remember to flinch. You exclaim, “$10,000. Oh no, I could never go along with anything like that. That’s way too much. Tell you what, $8,000 might interest me. If they’re interested at $8,000, let me know and we’ll talk about it.”

The next day he comes back and has decided to bring you into line by using the Withdrawing the Offer Gambit. He says, “Am I embarrassed about this. I know that we were talking $10,000 yesterday, but the committee decided last night that they wouldn’t sell a share for less than $12,000.”

This is psychologically devastating to you for two reasons:

1. Because you feel that you created the problem-you say, “Boy, I wish I’d never run into that Roger Dawson and his Power Negotiating because if I hadn’t I would have nailed him down at $10,000 yesterday.”

2. You’ve made the mistake telling your family all about it They’re all excited about the home up in the mountains, and you’ve passed that critical point in the negotiations when you’re prepared to walk away.

You say, “Joe what are you talking about? You said $10,000 yesterday, $12,000 today, is it going to be $14,000 tomorrow? What’s going on here?”

He says, “I do feel bad, but that’s what the committee decided.”

You say, “Joe, come on.”

So he says, “Well I do feel bad about this. Tell you what, let me go back to them one more time, let me see what I can do for you with them. If I can get it for you for the $10,000, are you interested?”

And you say, “Of course I’m interested. I want it.” And he has sold you at full price and you may not have realized what he’s done to you until it’s too late.

Let me give you another example because it’s a very powerful negotiating Gambit. Let’s say that you sell widgets, and you quote the buyer a price of $1.80; the buyer offers you $1.60. You negotiate back and forth, and finally it looks as though he will agree to $1.72. What’s going through the buyer’s mind is, “I got him down from $1.80 to $1.72. I bet I can squeeze another penny out of him. I bet I can get this salesperson to $1.71.”
So he says, “Look, business is really tough right now, I just can’t do business with you on widgets unless you can bring the order in at $1.71.”
He may be only baiting you, just trying it to see if he can get you down. Don’t panic and feel you have to make the concession to stay in the game. The way to stop this grinding away process is to say, “I’m not sure if we can do that or not, but tell you what, if I can possibly get it for you I will. Let me go back, we’ll re-figure it and see if we can do it. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”

The next day you come back and pretend to withdraw the concession that you made the day before. You say, “I’m really embarrassed about this, but we’ve been up all night re-figuring the price of widgets. Somebody, somewhere down the line, has made a mistake. We had an increase in the cost of raw materials that the estimator didn’t figure in. I know we were talking $1.72 yesterday, but we can’t even sell it to you for that -$1.73 is the lowest price that we could possibly offer you on widgets.”

What’s the buyer’s reaction? He’s going to get angry and say, “Hey, wait a minute buddy. We were talking $1.72 yesterday, and $1.72 is what I want.” And immediately the buyer forgets $1.71. The Withdrawing an Offer Gambit works well to stop the buyer grinding away on you.

Haven’t we all had an appliance or car salesperson, when we were trying to force the price a little lower, say, “Let me go to my sales manager, and I’ll see what I can do for you with him.” Then he comes back and he says, “Am I embarrassed about this. You know that advertised special we were talking about? I thought that ad was still in effect, but it went off last Saturday. I can’t even sell it to you at the price we were talking about.”
Immediately you forget future concessions and want to jump at the price you’d been talking about.

You can also employ this Gambit by withdrawing a feature of the offer, rather than raising the price. Here are some examples:

o The appliance salesperson says to you, “I know we were talking about waiving the installation charge, but my sales manager is now telling me that at this price we just can’t.”

o The air-conditioner salesperson says to you, “I understand that we were talking about including the cost of building permits, but at a price this low, my estimators are telling me we’d be crazy to do that.”

o You’re a sub-contractor, and you say to your general contractor, “I know you requested 60-day terms, but at this price, we’d need payment in 30 days.”

o You market computers, and you tell your customer, “Yes, I told you that we would waive the charge for training your people, but my people are saying that at this price, we’d have to charge.”

Don’t do it with something big because that could really antagonize the other person.

The Withdrawing an Offer Gambit is a gamble, but it will force a decision and usually make or break the deal. Whenever the other person uses this on you, don’t be afraid to counter by insisting that the other side resolve its internal problem first, so that you can then resume the real negotiation.

Key points to remember:

o Withdrawing an Offer is a gamble, so use it only on someone who is grinding away on you.

o You can do it by backing off your last price concession or by withdrawing an offer to include freight, installation, training, or extended terms.

o To avoid direct confrontation, make the Bad Guy a vague higher authority. Continue to position yourself as on the other person’s side.

Each day we face some opportunity for negotiation. Let’s face it, negotiation is a part of our every day life and dare I say that almost everything is negotiable? So being able to acquire powerful negotiation skills so you can negotiate effectively and successfully can make a big difference in your outcomes. The use of strategic thinking is a natural fit in negotiations and is critical to successful outcomes.

One of the first things you must realize to become a powerful negotiator is that negotiation is a skill and that this skill must be mastered in order to get almost any deal you want with less effort than you could imagine. To help you acquire the skills of a powerful negotiator, here are twelve (12) powerful negotiation tips from your strategic thinking business coach.

+ Clearly define and focus on what you want and be willing to negotiate. You must be willing to “talk money” when it comes time to doing a deal. Don’t be shy about trying to turn something that may not immediately appear to be a negotiable item into being one.

+ Park your emotions outside from where the negotiations take place. It is critically important to keep calm, focused, patient, professional and friendly at all times, including those times when the other person loses his or her cool.

+ Make the other person be the first person to name a figure. It is important to get the other person to say a number first. For example, if someone asks your hourly rate, respond by asking him or her what is the budget?

+ Ask for more than you expect to receive. Without being arrogant or aggressive, you can say to the other person that you think they will have to do better than the offer they made to you.

+ Act less interested than what you really are. It is important to convey the impression that you are willing to walk away from a deal. You can portray a reluctant buyer or seller and his can do amazing things for getting a better deal.

+ Know whether you are in a “buyers” or “sellers” market and plan your strategies accordingly.

+ Know that you have the ability to question the “rules” the other person may try to use on you when signing a contract. Remember that you are the one signing the contract and have the right to make any changes you want before signing it and then let them know that if they are not happy with the changes, then something can be worked out.

+ Strive to end the negotiations with both parties feeling satisfied with the outcome. Be willing to give up things that don’t really matte to you in order to create goodwill.

+ Let the other person know you have options. The fact is that the side that has the most options has the most power. Work to let the other party know that you have options.

+ Learn to read and use body language in your negotiations to know what they are thinking and to send them a message you want them to as reinforcement to what you have said.

+ Reserve your option to go to higher authority. Tell the other party that you have a higher authority that has to approve the deal, without telling them that you can make a decision in the negotiation. And make the higher authority some vague entity such as a committee or board of directors.

+ Strive to make the other party offer to “split the difference” in negotiations. This way you can possibly get them to split the difference again or if they will not, then reluctantly agree and give them the perception that they won.

Chester Karrass once said: “In life you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.” Whether you like it or not, negotiations play a vital part in your daily business transactions. As a business professional, negotiating is something you have to do on a daily basis. In fact, coming to a negotiation table totally unprepared will most likely lead you to getting pressured or intimidated by your counterpart. Consequently, you will be forced into accepting a deal you do not wholeheartedly agree with and such failure could seriously affect the company’s growth and survival.

That is why it is imperative that you always come to the negotiation table prepared especially since the negotiation process contains so many elements of the unknowable. By arming yourself with the information you need to avoid unpleasant surprises, you will be able to successfully use negotiations to close deals. In addition, you will be able to use negotiations as a means by which to develop lasting relations with your counterpart.

As a negotiator, you will have to take note of negotiation risks. More importantly, you will also need to know how to prevent them. Here are some critical ones to pay attention to:

1. Telephone Negotiations – To save on various resources, most professionals opt to do negotiations over the phone. However, it is important to remember never to conduct negotiations over the phone. Matters such as contracts and alike should be settled face-to-face, especially when there is a big amount of money involved.
2. Talking too Much – One of the worst things a negotiator can do, especially during a very heated settlement, is when they start to talk continuously. Negotiations are not presentations. Rather, they are discussions on finding the middle ground. Let your counterpart talk and allow them to express their wants and opinions. Only then will you be able to negotiate successfully.
3. Answering Questions – Allow your counterpart to ask questions. If you have done your homework, then there will be no problem. Once the question has been asked always remember to mentally prepare what you will say and take your time.
4. Granting Concessions – As a negotiator, remember to never take the first offer. You will also have to learn how to be patient and never concede too fast. Do not give big concessions and always get counter concessions. Remember that negotiation is a process. It takes time and the effort of all the parties involved to come to an understanding suitable for all. If rushed, the negotiation might end poorly.

In a previous article, I discussed in detail several effective ways of gathering information to prepare for a negotiation. I went over asking questions, listening, and researching. It was shown how employing strategies to get information was a key aspect of learned negotiation skills.

Here, I would like to discuss what information we need to gather, and why it is so important.

When you are preparing to enter into a negotiation, it is important to know who you are negotiating with. Not just a familiarity with the name of a person or business, but a deep knowledge of the other party in terms of:

• their status
• their goals
• their religion
• their negotiation style

Understanding the status of the person or team negotiating the deal tells you what they can and cannot decide. A classic illustration of this is the car lot. When you are engaged with the salesperson, you know he can make certain decisions and make certain recommendations but he cannot make all decisions and recommendations. That is the job of the sales manager. So when negotiating out on the lot, you know that no matter what is spoken or suggested, not much counts until the salesperson “takes it back to the manager”. This naturally affects how you negotiate with him; you might be inclined to offer something but you don’t when you think about the fact that it will have to be negotiated again anyway with the guy behind the desk.

This is an issue of status. The salesperson on a car lot has a limited status.

In any negotiation, it is wise to research and find out how much authority the other party has to make decisions. If you are buying a couch advertised on Craigslist, you will want to know if the person negotiating has to clear the decision with another person in the home before sealing the deal. If you are buying corporate stock, you want to know if the person on the other side of the boardroom table can sign on the dotted line, or if she needs to clear it with a senior executive first.

It can be damaging to your position to lay all your marbles out on the table if you are not dealing with the final decision maker, i.e. the person with the right status. Otherwise, later when you need to use some concessions of your own to get a concession from the opposing party, you could find yourself with no options left. So you need to know the status of the other party before engaging.

Knowing the other party’s goals is likewise helpful to your negotiation. What are they trying to achieve? Is it something other than they are letting on? And if so, how can you use that info to structure your offers and concessions?

If you are selling a business, and you realize the buying party is hoping to get as much training from you as possible, you will be in a position to get more dollars than would normally be expected. You can offer a longer period of involvement to assist the buyer in taking over the business because your goal is the highest dollar possible sale, and not a minimum amount of time in transferring the business. Knowing these facts gives you negotiation muscle.

What is the other party’s religion or spiritual beliefs, and why is this important?

The fact is, it can be very important. A product for one buyer may be a curse, for another it may be a blessing. To meet on a Sunday or a Saturday may be impossible to one seller or buyer, and to others it may not matter at all. Certain days and times of the month are sacred to one, and the same as any to another. If you know the facts about an individual, you can tailor your meeting, your offer, and your manner to accommodate that person. If you don’t, you run the risk of pursuing futile negotiations, or worse, offending them. Taking the time to learn about the other person in a negotiation pays dividends in terms of better communication and better chances of a successful outcome.

The negotiation style of a person or team of negotiators can vary greatly. Much of this can be seen in various cultures coming to the negotiating table. The Japanese, for example, have a view of status in negotiations that most Americans are not privy to. People from India have certain style characteristics peculiar to them that another culture may not quite understand. That’s okay. The goal of any negotiator should be to understand the other party’s inhibitions and expectations so as to be sensitive to them. But that doesn’t mean changing your manners and methods to fit everyone else’s. It simply means to be aware, so if there is a hot button you don’t need to push… don’t push it.

Some cultures view a successful negotiation over anything as a miniature battle; yelling and arguing is part of the process. Other cultures view this behavior as the opposite of a successful negotiation. Neither one is right or wrong; the issue is understanding the differences.