How can we be better at negotiating and why does it matter?

When we think of negotiation, we tend to think of formal situations like buying a house, sealing a business deal or getting a hostage released. But it also applies to many of our day to day conversations, where we’re looking to achieve a particular outcome.

My guest on this episode Fotini Iconomopoulos had a childhood nickname of ‘The Negotiator’ and she’s been doing it ever since then. Fotini specialises in helping executives around the world to get better deals and trains their teams to negotiate more effectively. She is the author of a best selling book “Say Less, Get More: Unconventional Negotiation Techniques to Get What You Want” and she teaches MBA students at York University's Schulich School of Business in Canada.

Fotini’s insights can help all of us to have better conversations - whether we’re formally negotiating, or just having a discussion where there are a series of potential outcomes. If we get better at negotiating, we can make better decisions and deliver better outcomes. In short, we can reduce human risk.

In our discussion, we explore what negotiation is, why it matters and how we can all be better at it. You’ll also hear some thoughts on simple techniques we can all deploy to be better negotiators and why ‘I win, you lose’ isn’t the only available strategy; often a ‘win:win’ outcome is possible, if we think creatively about how we might get there.

My huge thanks to Professor Todd Kashdan who was kind enough to introduce me to Fotini as someone I should get onto the show. He wasn’t wrong. So if you liked this episode, do also listen to the one featuring Todd where he talks about constructive insubordination: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/professor-todd-kashdan-on-insubordination/

To find out more about Fotini, her book “Say Less, Get More: Unconventional Negotiation Techniques to Get What You Want” visit her website: https://fotiniicon.com/

You’ll find her on social media:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fotiniicon

Twitter - https://twitter.com/fotiniicon?

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/fotiniiconomopoulos

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