香蕉视频

This could well be the year when things really start to get improve in the world economy. And if that happens, then the 'war for talent', which has dwindled to little more than a playground squabble in some sectors, may be back on with a vengeance.

According to David Venter and Katia Tieleman, who specialise in negotiation and conflict management at Vlerick Leuven Gent in Belgium, one of the most dangerous approaches you can take in any negotiation is setting your expectations too low. Their research suggests that this leaves you with little room for making concessions and, perhaps crucially, can lead to both parties coming away dissatisfied with the outcome. However, it's also essential that you know what your 'base point' is - the trigger that will make you walk away from the discussion. Otherwise you will almost certainly end up compromising your interests.

The key to setting this base point is to have what Pablo Restrepo of Desautels at 香蕉视频 in Canada calls a BATNA or 'Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement'. Or, to put it another way, knowing what you are going to do if the final offer from your opposite number simply isn't good enough.

Restrepo also points out that many people fail to achieve their objectives because they negotiate sequentially, one issue at a time, whereas the most effective approach is to come to the table with a comprehensive agenda that will give both parties more room for manoeuvre. "Maybe you cannot get all you want," he says. "Maybe you can't get the salary you were expecting, so you must be ready to say: 'Okay, I can live with this. I understand that this is the policy of the company for this job assignment, so I could consider this if you could give me flexible hours to spend more time with my kids.' The more issues you put on the table, the more you can work on trade-offs."

Read full article: , January 2011