1. The Art of Negotiation UNYP 22 nd April 2014 – Alexander Arian Danilovic Wayra Center – Vaclavske Namesti 3, Prague – 11-12

2. thank you!  thanks to UNYP  special thanks to Aaron Johnson for inviting me to give this workshop  entrepreneurship program is an excellent resource for acting and future professionals  the future is in small & medium size businesses

3. about the presenter  originally from North America  lived and worked in Houston, Calgary, S. Korea, Russia (twice), Kazakhstan, Vienna and Prague  soon to be 15 years in the oil & gas industry  commercial and regulatory roles with Fluor, ExxonMobil, Nabucco Gas Pipeline, Aeon Consulting  BA in Political Science / MBA from UNYP  special focus on megaprojects in the energy industry  most importantly – I love negotiations!

4. negotiation: an art “An activity through which people express particular ideas“ “the process of discussing something with someone in order to reach an agreement, or the discussions themselves” NEGOTIATION ART Think Jazz, Think Team Sports…….. * Cambridge online dictionary

5. team sports sports people in the room?

6. and cricket? any cricket fans in the room ? what do the rest of us see watching cricket?

7. dynamic process  negotiations are a dynamic process, defined by ambiguity and surprise  negotiations require working outside one’s comfort zone  the aim is to make as much sense of the ‘game’ as possible both before and during the process  negotiation is indeed an art  talent (skills) and preparation are important because they allow the actor greater flexibility

8. why are negotiations so important?  the business world wants to turn everything into a hard science  business transactions, disputes and growth opportunities are handled by negotiation  professionals that can combine their education, experience and emotional intelligence can be excellent negotiators, delivering outstanding results to their professional and personal activities

9. with whom, for what, when and why?  focusing on ‘how’ to negotiate is important, but so are all the other factors  personal, external business, internal business  where do we do most of our negotiating?  external business negotiations are important, but perhaps not the most frequent no two negotiations are the same….. there is no mold that works for all…. hard training is helpful but application is everything… going to lots of negotiation trainings will not make you great negotiator… practice and get out of comfort zone

10. hungry for negotiation skills  during my management experience employees were encouraged to develop training plans to enhance their skills sets  negotiation has always been the number one most requested training  what were people looking for? is there a silver bullet to being a cool negotiator?  negotiation creates discomfort for some. why?

11. and the single game changer is…  preparation, preparation, preparation  there is no technique to compensate for it  there is no activity the can more quickly level the playing field between the ‘natural’ versus the ‘challenged’ negotiator  preparing well implies experience, collaboration, study, empathy

12. skills of great negotiators flexible brave understan d power optimisti c knowledgeabl e listening emotionall y intelligent patience prepared empatheti c

13. and the poor negotiators… Short- sighted Unprepared impatient unreliable selfish arrogant poor listener uninformed Lack of emotional control pessimistic self-centred

14. and your choice is?  which group would you prefer to associate with?  negotiation skills are important as the skills set is identical to those required for business and personal success  a poor negotiator will not have the skills set to excel in a professional environment

15. the skill set NEGOTIATIO N EXCELLENCE PREPARATION & PLANNING B EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE C OPTIMISM & EQUALITY D PATIENCE E FLEXIBILITY A BOLD & BRAVE F

16. flexibility  get used to working in uncertain circumstances  you will never be able to predict the other party’s position, response or approach perfectly. So stop trying.  love the journey  the negotiation can end better than you ever imagined

17. planning & preparation  know the other party  engage your network  work with all available information to understand their position and situation  the element of surprise cannot be eliminated, but can be minimized  know your tradeables  think broad and big, understand ‘end to end’ impact

18. emotional intelligence  the relationship is everything  we do business with people, forget B2B!  be empathetic and understand your counterparties position  a good negotiator understands the other party’s position as well as they understand their own  know when to talk and when to ask, and when to shut up…

19. optimism & equality  you will never get your optimal outcome if you do not ask for it (or know what it is!)  you cannot negotiate as a second class citizen…. Don’t get star struck and respect yourself  negotiate in good faith  good news for entrepreneurs

20. patience  negotiations take time  if it is moving too quickly, something could be wrong…  work on the relationship  building trust takes time, but makes all the difference

21. be bold, be brave  don’t be afraid to make the first proposal  use anchors effectively  don’t be turned off by the other party’s bold statements  be careful making bold statements  play hard, play fair

22. summary  we can all be better negotiators  enhancing our negotiation skills will improve our ability to engage on personal and professional issues more effectively  learn flexibility, love the uncertainty, treat it as an art  respect your counterparty  build your own style

23. thank you!  feel free to contact me at any time  work email: ari.danilovic@aeon-group.comari.danilovic@aeon-group.com  private email: ari.danilovic@gmail.comari.danilovic@gmail.com  telephone: +420 777 909 369