A Professional Negotiator’s Guide to Resolving Conflict

What kind of difficult conversations are you grappling with or putting off? Let’s say you’re biding your time because you need to negotiate a particular outcome. Your ability to negotiate with your bosses, stakeholders, clients and co-workers may determine whether your career flies high or falls flat. It’s a measure of your personal effectiveness, according to CMI’s Professional Standards and Competency Framework.

Even though we’ve all been negotiating since we could talk – “Just five more minutes?” or “Next round’s on me if you’ll stay for one more…” – there’s a good chance we’re still making some elementary mistakes. Here’s what negotiation experts say we should be doing.