Why Choose this Training Course?

This course considers the importance of building alliances and relationships through the application of negotiation and persuasion. Delegates will work on critical thinking processes to enable them to make better planning decisions in order to achieve success when negotiating alliances.

The course will equip delegates with an essential framework for effective negotiation starting with the planning process and understanding why it is essential to consider the critical points in building and maintaining relationships. Delegates will have the opportunity to exercise and improve their influencing and persuasion skills, and build higher-level communication ability in order to deliver results and maintain alliances for the mutual benefit of the parties involved.

The course will feature:

• Understanding the key issues in forming and maintaining alliances
• Applying critical thinking when planning to negotiate
• Defining the stages within a negotiation process
• Discussing how to defend yourself from aggressive tactics and ploys in negotiation
• Developing higher level communication skills for influencing others
• Applying more influence when negotiating through practical exercises

What are the Goals?

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe a framework for the analysis of business alliances
• Understand how to apply influencing skills during the negotiation phase
• Recognise and manage difficult negotiators who use aggressive tactics during negotiation
• Understand the key principles of persuasion and its importance to negotiation
• Apply critical thinking when planning to develop business alliances

 Who is this Training Course for?

This course is suitable to a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:

• Personnel from a wide range of business disciplines
• Delegates wishing to develop negotiation skills in alliance building
• Delegates who regularly work with external suppliers or customers
• Departmental Heads requiring to form interdepartmental alliances to achieve results

How will this Training Course be Presented?

This course will utilise a variety of proven adult learning techniques to ensure maximum understanding, comprehension and retention of the information presented. This includes professional learning techniques combined with presentations, interactive practical exercises, group activities and case studies will help delegates to build a formal framework around their current knowledge and skills. 

Delegates will be encouraged to develop both their critical thinking and persuasion skills, applying these to the formation and maintenance of negotiated alliances to increase the value for money provided to their employer.

The Course Content

Day One: Developing Alliances

• Characteristics of a strategic alliance – effects of market dominance
• Culture and perception – and effects in building alliances
• Achieving results in the life cycle of the alliance, through building trust
• Personality - strengths & weaknesses in negotiations
• Minimising communication blockers to maintain relationships
• Development review and action planning

Day Two: Influence & Persuasion Skills in Managing the Alliance

• Challenges of meetings – group and individual strategies
• Positive influence of listening in challenging situations - good and bad news!
• Applying rules of influential presentations to maximize impact
• Maintaining compatible body language & using logic, credibility and passion
• Feedback and action planning

Day Three: Strategy in Negotiation Skills for Partners and Allies

• Steps in win-win negotiation
• The keys to collaborative bargaining in partnering
• Leverage: What it is and how to use it?
• Negotiation tactics and ploys
• Dealing with difficult negotiators and barriers
• Ethics in negotiation

Day Four: Higher Level Negotiation Skills for Challenging Situations

• Listening and responding to signals and informal information
• Recovering from reversals, errors and challenges
• Developing a climate of trust
• Higher level conversation techniques
• Concentrating action on the needs of alliance partners

Day Five: Maintaining Alliances: Critical Thinking for Decision Making

• Gaining control and using information – formal and informal
• Identifying sources and testing assumptions
• Framing the problem
• Decision making under pressure
• Reviewing strategic alliances and building personal action