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Bargaining for Advantage
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Bargaining for Advantage

Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People

G. Richard Shell
Penguin, 2006
First Edition: 1999
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Editorial Rating

8

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Recommendation

Negotiating is one of the most basic yet complex social interactions that people undertake. These sessions can be straightforward or highly strategic, and can involve the exchange of everything from sheep to global conglomerates. Since negotiations are the products of intense human relations, they produce great stories founded on basic social science and psychology principles. Author and professor G. Richard Shell has done a masterful job of presenting the art and science of negotiation. That must be why he is known as one of the most highly-rated business school professors in the U.S. This book is educational and entertaining, and contains great examples of negotiations from such varied sources as African tribes and J.P. Morgan. getAbstract highly recommends it to anyone who wants to find out more about this intricate social interaction. Learn exactly how to become better at getting what you want.

Summary

Everyday Negotiations

Negotiating is a part of daily life. Yet, this basic building block of communication can still cause great anxiety and drive people to seek simplistic, suboptimal solutions. To be a successful negotiator, you must confront your fears and realize that every negotiation is unique. Once you understand the psychology behind the process, you can embrace new approaches to bargaining.

Negotiating is a process of resolving disagreements and attaining goals. It relies upon reciprocity. Negotiations usually follow this sequence: preparation for the meeting, exchange of views, presentation of proposals and counterproposals, agreement and finally commitment. However, before you begin any of these steps, make sure that you have the correct attitude and approach. The six “foundations” of good negotiation are:

1. Know Yourself

Recognize your personal negotiating style. If you are easy-going, you will not turn into a hard-nosed negotiator just because you start to bargain. Although more competitive people thrive on bargaining, fairness and reason also hold pivotal places at the negotiating table. Based on your personality, you will respond to negotiation...

About the Author

G. Richard Shell is a professor and negotiation expert at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. BusinessWeek named him as one of the nation’s top business school professors three times. He trains executives, nonprofit leaders and government officials in negotiation.

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