About this session
Negotiation appears throughout professional life: agreeing scope, deadlines, resources, responsibilities, prices, priorities, working arrangements, contracts, project decisions and solutions to competing interests.
Yet many people enter these conversations knowing what they want without understanding what they will do if they cannot get it, what the other party values, or which issues could be traded rather than simply conceded.
Participants learn the foundations of strong negotiation.
They distinguish positions from underlying interests, establish objectives and boundaries, understand BATNA and the potential zone of possible agreement, and diagnose different negotiation situations before choosing how to approach them.
The session then develops the interpersonal and commercial skills required at the table: questioning, listening, framing, offers, trade-offs, concessions, managing tension and recognizing when to pause or walk away.
Finally, participants learn to close agreements clearly and review negotiation performance so experience becomes better judgment rather than repeated habit. The goal is confident, prepared and adaptable negotiation — not winning every point at any cost.
What your people take away
- Prepare objectives, priorities, alternatives and boundaries before entering a negotiation
- Distinguish stated positions from the interests and constraints underneath them
- Use questioning, listening and observation to improve negotiation intelligence
- Create additional value through differences in priorities before deciding how that value will be distributed
- Make offers, concessions and trade-offs deliberately rather than reactively
- Close agreements clearly, manage impasse and learn systematically from negotiation outcomes
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- What each length covers, 30 minutes to full day
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Prepare Your Negotiating PositionA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Prepare Your Negotiating Position: know what you actually want, understand your BATNA & reservation point and estimate the zone of possible agreement.
- Know what you actually want
- Understand your BATNA & reservation point
- Estimate the zone of possible agreement
Covers 3 of 4 points in Prepare Your Negotiating Position.
60 minutes
Build Confidence in Everyday NegotiationsA focused introduction to the foundations of negotiation. Participants learn to prepare objectives and alternatives, distinguish positions from interests, ask stronger questions and use a practical structure for reaching a more deliberate agreement.
- Negotiation fundamentals
- Objectives and priorities
- BATNA and boundaries
- Positions vs. interests
- Questioning and listening
- Negotiation Quick Planner
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Prepare Your Negotiating Position.
90 minutes
Negotiate With Greater Skill & ConfidenceThe extended session covers the core negotiation journey from preparation and discovery through value creation, offers, concessions, trade-offs and closing. Participants practice the techniques through realistic professional scenarios.
- Negotiation preparation
- BATNA and reservation point
- ZOPA
- Interests and positions
- Negotiation styles
- Value creation
- Offers and anchors
- Concessions and trade-offs
- Agreement planning
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Prepare Your Negotiating Position and Discover Interests & Build the Conversation.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Prepare Your Negotiating Position, Discover Interests & Build the Conversation and Create Value, Bargain & Make Trade-Offs.
Full day
Mastering Negotiation Skills LabA practical full-day workshop covering all four modules. Participants prepare and conduct realistic negotiations, practice questioning and listening, identify value-creation opportunities, work with anchors and concessions, manage difficult moments and receive structured feedback on their negotiation performance.
- Module 1 — Prepare Your Negotiating Position
- Module 2 — Discover Interests & Build the Conversation
- Module 3 — Create Value, Bargain & Make Trade-Offs
- Module 4 — Handle Pressure, Close & Learn
- Negotiation Preparation Challenge
- BATNA / Reservation Point / ZOPA Mapping
- Interest Discovery Practice
- Questioning & Listening Lab
- Negotiation Style Adaptation
- Value Creation Exercise
- Anchoring & Offer Scenarios
- Concession Trading Practice
- Multi-Issue Negotiation Simulation
- Agreement & Debrief Review
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Prepare Your Negotiating Position
Every length- Know what you actually wantNegotiators often enter with one headline demand but little clarity about priorities underneath it.
- Understand your BATNA & reservation pointNegotiating power depends partly on what happens if agreement is not reached.
- Estimate the zone of possible agreementAn agreement becomes possible when the parties' acceptable ranges overlap, although those limits are rarely known with certainty at the beginning.
- Choose your approach for the situationNot every negotiation requires the same balance of collaboration, firmness, speed or relationship investment.
Discover Interests & Build the Conversation
90 minutes and longer- Move beyond positionsA position describes what somebody says they want; an interest explains why it matters.
- Ask questions that create informationStrong negotiators do not simply present arguments more forcefully.
- Listen for priority, flexibility & signalsWhat the other party repeats, qualifies, protects, trades quickly or asks about can provide clues about what matters most.
- Manage different negotiation stylesSome negotiators are highly direct, some relational, some analytical and some fast-moving or cautious.
Create Value, Bargain & Make Trade-Offs
3 hours and longer- Create value before dividing itNegotiations involving several issues often contain opportunities because the parties value those issues differently.
- Make offers & anchors with purposeOpening proposals can influence the range of subsequent discussion, but aggressive or poorly supported anchors can damage credibility and relationships.
- Trade — don't giveConcessions provide information about flexibility and can shape expectations about what will happen next.
- Package multiple issuesNegotiating one issue at a time can create unnecessary deadlock.
Handle Pressure, Close & Learn
Full day only- Stay effective when the negotiation gets difficultPressure can lead negotiators to speak too quickly, become defensive, make unnecessary concessions or become so fixed on one outcome that they stop learning.
- Work through impasseDeadlock does not always mean the negotiation has failed.
- Close without creating a second negotiationA verbal sense of agreement can hide very different assumptions about what was actually decided.
- Review the process, not just whether you 'won'A favorable outcome can result from luck or an unusually weak alternative on the other side, while a strong negotiation process may still end without agreement.
Tools and materials
- Negotiation Preparation Canvas
- BATNA Development Canvas
- Reservation Point Planner
- ZOPA Hypothesis Map
- Interest Discovery Map
- Negotiation Question Builder
- Value Creation Canvas
- Concession Strategy Map
- Negotiation Package Builder
- Negotiation Mastery Playbook
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Mastering Negotiation Skills
How long is Mastering Negotiation Skills?
Mastering Negotiation Skills runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Prepare Your Negotiating Position: know what you actually want, understand your BATNA & reservation point and estimate the zone of possible agreement. A 60-minute session covers Prepare Your Negotiating Position in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Discover Interests & Build the Conversation. A 3-hour session adds Create Value, Bargain & Make Trade-Offs. A full-day session adds Handle Pressure, Close & Learn. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Mastering Negotiation Skills be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Mastering Negotiation Skills?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Mastering Negotiation Skills to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.