Speak First Newsletter - February 2007
In this issue we’ve included a great article on Negotiating where you’re bound to pick up tips you can use in any situation where you want to find a win-win solution. If that doesn’t ‘float your boat’ take a look at the first in our new series called Tricks of the Trade that tells you how great speakers use rhetorical techniques to hold their audience’s attention.
Warm wishes
Amanda and Jackie
In this month's issue...
- Negotiating - Getting the best deal
- Tricks of the trade
Negotiating - Getting the best deal
How do feel about negotiating? Does the idea of it fill you with fear or do you enjoy it?
Either way here are a few tips that will be useful to you in both client relationship negotiations and one off trades.
1 Good Preparation
You’ve probably heard this many times before, but good preparation is crucial. The better prepared you are the better equipped you’ll be to keep control of the negotiation when the unexpected is thrown at you.
Preparation is your map, it’s not the route. So, if your route gets blocked, you need to have alternatives in mind
Know what you want and aim for it. Remember the higher you start the higher you finish, the lower you start the lower you finish.
Good preparation helps you control your nerves because when anxiety goes up the brain switches off.
2 During the negotiation
Negotiating is listening. Listen for the free information, the clues that negotiators give away with words and phrases like ‘about’ or ‘in the region of’.
Their initial offer isn’t the best offer even if it sounds attractive to you. They’ll improve it if you push. Never interrupt them when they’re making an offer because you’ll distract them and you may never hear the whole offer.
When proposing something, never explain, qualify, justify or apologise. Tough isn’t nasty, firm isn’t rude. Use words that caress and phrases that progress. Try testing some assumptions. Do this by stating them as a fact. A confident statement sounds like a fact.
If you’re feeling comfortable in the negotiation the chances are you haven’t pushed hard enough. Get uncomfortable – deals done in the comfort zone leave money on the table.
3 Closing the deal
Nothing’s agreed until everything’s agreed. Always keep the whole package in mind. Always trade concessions “If you .. then I…”. Generosity in negotiation isn’t contagious. Just because you make a gesture don’t expect the other side to match it. Record what’s been agreed there and then. Finally the answer to let’s split the difference is “NO”!
If you find these tips useful, or want to know more, click here to view details of our course and recommended books to read.
Tricks of the trade
A simple technique to add impact to your presentations
Ever wondered what great speakers do to make their speeches sound interesting and engaging? One of the ‘tricks of the trade’, well known by politicians, speech writers and professional speakers, is the use of rhetorical techniques. We’ve listed just a few of them below to get you started.
Here’s a famous example of a technique known as the ‘rule of three’:
" Never in the history of human endeavour has so much been owed by so many to so few " ... Sir Winston Churchill
And a couple of examples to show how this can be applied to a business presentation
“This is going to be challenging, expensive but ultimately rewarding.”
“This will involve sales, marketing and finance.”
This one is a rhetorical question where the speaker provides the answer:
“Can we really meet this target?” “We can meet it if we……..”
“Where does that leave us? With endless opportunities.”
“Where do we go from here? We listen to our customers.”
Use of repetition is another favourite:
“We need more effort.” We need more because our success depends on it.”
“The market recovery has been stunning – simply stunning.”
“This news is amazing – it’s simply amazing.”
If you want to find out more sign up for our Advance Your Presentations course or the Presentations Masterclass.
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