Ted Feifer and Linda Bishai of the Education and Training Center/ International conducted a first workshop on Problems in Negotiation for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, September 17-19, 2008.
Ted Feifer and Linda Bishai of the Education and Training Center/ International conducted a first workshop on Problems in Negotiation for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, September 17-19, 2008. Participants were members of national delegations to the OSCE (Poland, United Kingdom, Romania and Ukraine), the OSCE Secretariat staff, and the head of the United National High Commissioner for Refugees Liaison Office to the OSCE.
Workshop objectives were to identify basic problems in negotiations; analyze problems in negotiations and assess options/opportunities; recognize common negotiating tactics and deceptive behavior, and learn how to respond to them; and practice skills learned in simulated problematic negotiations. The materials used in this program were specially developed to address important, but rarely covered aspects of negotiations.
Participants identified problems as a result of substance, emotions, personalities, situations, and process in negotiations. They responded to common negotiating tactics, discussed emotions in negotiations, talked about negotiating with villains, analyzed problematic negotiations shown in a video, discussed reluctant negotiators, and faced multiple challenges in a complex simulation.
In his evaluation, one participant noted that the workshop provided both theoretical and practical tools for practitioners in negotiations. He felt he had acquired a broader understanding of negotiating techniques in difficult situations. Another appreciated the tips, hints, and insights on how to deal with problems in negotiations. A common theme expressed by many of the participants was their appreciation for this opportunity to address and practice dealing with many common but rarely discussed challenges in negotiations.
