“What the heck happened in there? They slaughtered us! They out-negotiated us at every turn! Why did we not see that coming?” “I guess we didn’t plan for that type of negotiation with that type of negotiator”, was the reply.

People engage in negotiations because they seek to maximize an outcome. In that quest, some people lose their focus. They use the same negotiation strategies they’ve used in the past and wonder why they get slaughtered when those strategies are no longer effective. To prevent that from happening to you, note the following.

Positioning:

Environment: Know what the best environment is to conduct your negotiation in. That environment may encompass doing so in writing, or phone, versus in person. There are different dynamics that come into play when negotiating in different environments. Know the environment that will most benefit your style of negotiating compared to the negotiation style of the opposing negotiator.

Perception: Everyone has an image of who the person is that they’re negotiating with. That persona is based in part on what the perceiver knows about the other negotiator; that stems from what the perceiver has seen, heard, and thought of that person in the past.

Project the persona warranted for the negotiation. Take into consideration the negotiation style of the opposing negotiator in your calculation (i.e. hard (I’ll crush you), soft (I’ll go along to get along)). The perception you cast and how you perceive the other negotiator will determine the flow of the negotiation. To prevent being caught off guard, about your perception of the other negotiator and him of you, be adaptable as to the persona you project.

Strategy:

Entity: Know who you’re really dealing with (i.e. what force and sources motivates the other negotiator). Consider how he interprets information and how best to message that information related to the messenger (i.e. your persona). Your message may be received more favorably with one persona based on how that persona is perceived.

Leverage: When assembling strategies, assess how you’ll employ the powers of leverage. Leverage is a tool that can embolden you with positional power (i.e. power you have for a specified time), which can improve your negotiation position. Be cautious of how you use leverage. If you state you’ll engage in an action and don’t follow through, not only will you lose the ability to invoke leverage further in the negotiation, you also run the risk of losing credibility.

End Game:

What’s your end game and how will you know when you’ve entered it? You should develop the answers to those questions during the planning phase of your negotiation. The plan should encompass what might trigger the end game phase of the negotiation, how you might promote it to occur if it’s lagging, and what you might do to terminate the negotiation if you discern that your efforts will not get you there.

By having markers denoting possible exit points from a negotiation, you lessen the possibility of staying engaged longer than what’s necessary; staying engaged longer increases your vulnerability by making unnecessary concessions.

Once you arm yourself with the thoughts mentioned above, you’ll insulate yourself from the brutality that could otherwise occur. That insulation will also be a shield that prevents you from being slaughtered in your negotiations… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

Sometimes when you are convincing your new business plans or ideas to your clients, your methods of delivering your messages to your clients should be more permissive and less bragging. Your clients are basically human beings that sometimes their minds need to be stimulated by stimulating contents and pictures. This is how people are attracted to certain products which have these stimulating elements.

However, when your over-stimulate your clients as they can be easily drifted away from your speech deliverance. In the end, your client do not seem to get the whole business ideas that you have presented earlier resulting a total failure of getting good rapport from them. For example, using over-stimulating images can result improper attention at your slides especially when you put non-relevant images. It is better to use less-stimulating images like common pictures from Microsoft Clip Art based on proper keywords.

In this case, I have chosen a cartoon picture of a woman. Then, I modify the picture layout and colors. For simple slide layout, it is preferable to use plain white-colored background. In my point of view, a picture of a woman symbolizes subtle, gentleness, and tenderness which are commonly associated to relaxation. This does not mean you have to include woman in bikini – that is over the limit.

On the other hand, when you make a template of a relaxing and elegant Powerpoint presentations; you have to make use of the text box. Take advantage of this text boxes by changing its background colors. Use contrast colors to make it distinguishable than other objects in your slides. For better slide enhancement, please use the slide transition effect for the whole slides and “Ascend” entrance effects for the text boxes.

With all the accompanying hype and the huge build up to the festive period it can get a little overwhelming when it comes to Christmas present ideas. Smaller kids are usually not too much of a problem to sort out having been seduced by the latest game, toy or clothing item. But, if you are looking for something a little more unique that will outlast the frantic first few days when no present is left alone until the excitement and novelty has worn off, have you maybe thought about Bounty Hunter metal detectors as a sure fire way to giving something with longevity and value for money?

In this day and age we are all guilty of wanting a quick fix of either excitement, adrenaline or both but the euphoria of opening that shiny paper and diving into the contents of the box that has sat under your tree is all too short lived. So, to have Christmas present ideas that not only give a physical gift but the chance to take up a new fascinating and absorbing hobby is just fantastic.

After all, we are all individuals and not everyone is sport or gaming mad or totally fashion conscious either and if you struggle because you cannot fit a friend, relative, wife, husband or one of the kids into an easy to label box, you have more of a challenge on your hands, for sure.

This has to be the beauty of introducing anybody young or old to metal detecting because, with no fuss and the turn of a dial you can be out there and right in the thick of actually searching for hidden treasures as simply as that. The perfect place to start can be your own backyard which is just great Christmas Day and who knows what other unexpected gifts you may unearth.

The thrill and excitement of hearing the tell tale tones that your new bit of kit has found something for you to have a look at is just amazing. The adrenaline rush you get is equal to anything that any extreme sport offers without the need to expose yourself to any danger.

Apart from the actual detector (which comes with headphones too) you really do not need much else in the way of equipment to get you off and started. Your search area is the great outdoors and anywhere that people have lived, worked, spent recreational time or simply just passed through, items have been misplaced, lost or deliberately hidden for years and so the opportunity for finds are endless.

If you wanted some other Christmas present ideas to complement the main present you could always put together a metal detecting starter kit with a small trowel for digging and maybe some bags to put any treasures in or a back pack to keep everything together. The possibilities are endless and you will be giving a very thoughtful, timeless gift that will outlive and outlast any of the latest fads for sure.