An assignment in fulfillment of the Negotiation Skills and Effective Communication Course

1. The Negotiation Game Case Study
By Kurt Rizzo
Name & description of the Programme
Title of the Programme: Developing a Negotiation Mechanism in a Cultural Paradigm
Description of the Programme
The programme is intended towards business-oriented executives with experience in the
business world aiming to improve their negotiation techniques whilst keeping in context the
cultural paradigm. The participant should be able to understand the mechanisms involved in a
negotiation dance, how to effectively communicate the message within a negotiation, and how
to portray emotions in context of cultural factors.
As the participant progressively understands the program, common challenges such as
language barriers, terminology, and patience within a negotiation are understood further. The
general objective of the programme is to lead business executives to become more rational
negotiators and understand further different cultural perspectives they might encounter. This
includes the art of re-shaping interests and positions during a negotiation whilst also taking a
deeper look at conflict resolution and conflict management.
Programme curriculum is spread across a total of 4 weeks with participants having a variety of
reading material, digital material from key experts around the world, and workshop
programmes to implement the material being discussed. At the end of the course, business
executives shall be subjected to a one-on-one negotiation scenario with business peers from
the Asia Pacific region.
Topic List and Objectives
Week Topic Objective

2. 1 Culture & Negotiation
- An introduction to negotiation, including an
analysis to ZOPA and BATNA
- A deeper understanding of cultures by looking
at the way they differ along a small number of
common dimensions
- Different approaches that can be adapted to
risk, authority, individual, and time
- Identifying and avoiding stereotypes and labels
of different cultures
2
The Impact of Culture
Paradigm on the Negotiation
Dimension
- Learning different aspects of verbal and non-
verbal communication
- Cultural differences in communication
- How to actualize constructive dialogue in
cross-cultural negotiation
- Developing skills interrelated to emotional
intelligence, self-awareness, self-control, and
social management
3
The Impact of Culture on
Negotiators
- Understanding and critically thinking cultural
spectrums in the context of a negotiation and to
personalities during cross-cultural negotiations
- Achieving a sensible balance between
strategies and how to shift positions and
interests
4
Conflict Analysis and Case
Study Workshop
- An in-depth look at conflict resolution and
conflict management during cross-cultural
negotiations
- Workshops with a case study on climate
negotiations between different institutions from
different continents with attendees representing
different continents with different objectives
and cultural backgrounds
Managing Specific Language Needs in Context of Cultural Factors
Our words have an impact on society and culture, and society and culture have an impact on our words. It
can be challenging to comprehend a relationship that is so cyclical, but numerous examples from our own
experiences help make the point. To learn more about society, culture, and language, we should look for

3. opportunities to step outside of our normal comfort zones. For instance, there are numerous difficulties that
can be turned into insightful lessons when negotiating abroad.
Beyond the simple fact that co-workers, business partners, and clients share the same language, there are
numerous hurdles when working across cultures. Business transactions generally involve some sort of
bargaining. Even if the business relationship has progressed without incident up to this point, linguistic and
cultural differences can frequently cause significant problems at the negotiation table if both sides are
unaware of these aspects. The following are some language characteristics that shall be discussed during the
training programme:
Negotiation opportunity - The degree to which negotiators from various cultures fundamentally agree or
disagree regarding whether the situation is distributive or integrative will have an impact on cross-cultural
negotiations.
Communication - The effects of a communication strategy on negotiation include the capacity to
communicate the information required to establish integrative agreements and any preferences for conflict
resolution, differences in strategies and tactics, and an orientation toward long-term and short-term goals.
Directly, indirectly, and via the use of body language, cultures have an impact on how people communicate.
Emotionalism - The degree to which negotiators show emotion seems to vary by culture. These feelings
might be employed as a negotiating tool or they might just be a normal reaction to both favourable and
unfavourable conditions.
Cognition – The training programme tries to comprehend how culture affects how negotiators digest
information during negotiations and how this affects the course of negotiations and how they turn out.
Expanding and dividing the pie - An integrative negotiation seeks to increase the size of the pie by
maximizing its overall value. This goal can be disrupted in a variety of ways by cultural influences. This
crucial element of a good negotiation might be thwarted by procedural and cognitive features of different
cultures.
Sacred values - Issues that are deemed by the decision maker as ones that cannot be compromised, traded
off, or even questioned.
Language Barrier – the training programme shall seek to teach business executives to use common basic
English terminologies that can be understood by the other party whilst keeping in mind any values and norms
that should be respected in cultural context.
Effective communication
The training programme shall be designed to think deeper into the concepts of perceptions, cognition, and
emotions. Perception, Cognition, and Emotion are the foundation of negotiation because social interactions

4. are guided by the way we perceive and analyze the other party, the situation, and our own interests and
positions. Formal knowledge of how human beings perceive and process information is important for
understanding why people behave the way we do during the negotiation process.
Emotional Intelligence is another tool that shall be discussed during the duration of the course. Emotional
Intelligence as a negotiation strategy will help the negotiator learn to identify and manage emotional
expressions (verbal and non-verbal) that can make a positive or negative impact on the other party’s behavior
because people tend to mimic the emotional manifestations that we experience.
With this wealth of innovation knowledge, the rational and the emotional are incorporated to help negotiators
achieve agreements that generate value, both in terms of results as well as relationships that are consolidated.
The course shall then analyse the different barriers that can be encountered during a negotiation:
1. The barrier of bias: Cognition - Some cognitive biases in negotiation are anchoring, self-
confirmation, and frame of reference or “framing:”
2. The barrier of Distortion: Perception - In every negotiation, the needs, motivations, and personal
experience of the receiver can create a predisposition towards the other party. This is a concern
when it leads to distortion and errors in perception.
3. The Irrational Barrier: Emotions - When this wealth of innovative knowledge is incorporated,
what is rational and what is emotional can help negotiators achieve agreements that generate value
both with respect to results as well as the consolidation of relationships.
Managing the Specific Needs of the Time to Set Agreements
Business executives attending the training programme shall be undergoing an analysis of the ‘negotiation
dance’. This concept is the offers and counteroffer within a negotiation and with respect to time as the
negotiation process develops to conclude in an agreement (or disagreement).

5. The preparation phase in negotiation is crucial for defining the pattern that is desired throughout the
negotiation dance, specifically how the concessions are managed (magnitudes of the offers) and when is
the best moment to realize them. It’s important to pay attention to time management and tactics of
“prolonged waiting” (wait to see).
The following are some key analytic factors that shall be discussed during the training programmes and
workshops to prepare the business executives in preparing themselves for prolonged negotiations within the
Asia Pacific region:
Observation and Reflection: skills related to observing and reflecting on negotiations so that adjustments
can be made using critical thinking

6. Active Listening: understanding, processing, and responding to the other negotiators using open questions
to assure that the messages that were transmitted were not distorted
Rhythm of the Negotiation: business executives shall be learning on the rhythm of negotiations and how
to interpret important pauses and time for reflection
Anchors: it will be important for business executives to be respectful on how to set the first anchor so it
doesn’t derail the negotiation
Cultures: Asian Pacific regions usually tend to want to get to know the negotiators better first before
negotiation commences. Thus, business executives shall be trained on how to present themselves and
introduce their norms and values within their culture.

7. Training Programme Dynamics
The training programme shall be especially catered to involve the business executives within each module.
Within each module, business executives shall be involved in active participation and discussion groups and
a case study with multiple questions shall be done after the completion of each module.
Log in details to the training programme portal along with access to reading material related to Asian Pacific
negotiations and educational video content shall be posted weekly for business executives to learn from other
negotiators and their experiences within the region. This shall give business executives better understanding
of what they should expect and the ‘do’s and don’t’s’ within their particular context.
Topics shall be explained by a key expert in each field, highlighting the important factors that arise as
learning points. All material learned shall then be applied at the end of the programme with a real case
scenario whereby business executives shall need to implement their learning with our training personnel and
negotiate on a case study presented to them.