Business Spotlight 08.2019

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

46 BUSINESS SKILLS


Fotos: Gert Krautbauer; privat

Business Spotlight 6/2019

Anne Neppare: We both run negotiation-
skills training programmes, so I thought
it would be interesting to exchange some
ideas on what makes a good negotiator
and on how to prepare yourself for a ne-
gotiation.
Ken Taylor: Negotiating, especially in a
foreign language, can be very demanding.
And a good negotiator needs certain skills
and personal attributes.

Neppare: In discussions with my stu-
dents during negotiation-skills seminars,
we try to list those skills and attributes.
Taylor: What usually comes up?

Neppare: First, you need to know your
business well and have all the facts you
need. Then you should specify clear goals
for the negotiation.
Taylor: That’s sometimes easier said than
done. Let’s look at that in a bit more detail
later. What else do you discuss?

Neppare: That a good negotiator should
be a good listener.
Taylor: There’s an old saying: “God gave
us two ears and one mouth. We should
use them in that proportion.” A good ne-
gotiator needs to understand the needs
of the other side and, to do that, they have
to listen — and be prepared to ask lots of
questions to check any assumptions they
have made during the preparation phase.

Neppare: Good negotiators are able to
keep cool and calm. They don’t take the
business personally. This allows them
to be pragmatic in their approach to the
situation. They try not to accidentally rub
their business partner up the wrong way.
Taylor: You don’t have to fall in love with
the person on the other side of the table,
but you do need to create a neutral plat-
form for working together.

Neppare: Many Swedes, for example,
are afraid of conflict and avoid it until
the situation becomes unbearable. They
then overreact and damage the personal
relationship.
Taylor: So, you also need to be sensitive to
the cultural background of your business
partners and to create an atmosphere in
which both sides feel comfortable stand-
ing their ground.

assumption [E(sVmpS&n]
, Annahme
goal [gEUl]
, Ziel
negotiation
[nI)gEUSi(eIS&n]
, Verhandlung
negotiator
[nI(gEUSieItE]
, Verhandlungsführer(in)
rub sb. up the wrong way
[rVb )Vp DE rQN (weI]
, jmdn. anecken

run sth. [rVn]
, hier: etw. durchführen
saying [(seIIN]
, Spruch, Redensart
sensitive: be ~ to sth.
[(sensEtIv]
, etw. gegenüber
einfühlsam sein
stand one’s ground
[)stÄnd wVnz (graUnd]
, sich behaupten;
hier: seinen Standpunkt
verteidigen

BUSINESS SKILLS
PERSONAL TRAINER

Preparing for a negotiation


Als Ihr Personal Trainer gibt KEN TAYLOR Ihnen Expertentipps,
wie Sie Ihre Kompetenzen im Geschäftsalltag verbessern können. Hier spricht er mit der
Direktorin eines schwedischen Bildungsunternehmens darüber,
wie man zu einem guten Verhandlungsführer wird.
MEDIUM AUDIO

KEN TAYLOR
is a communica-
tion consultant,
personal coach
and author of
50 Ways to
Improve Your
Business English
(Lulu Publish-
ing). Contact:
KTaylor868@aol.
com

ANNE NEPPARE
heads Cognosis
AB in Stock-
holm, Sweden,
an internation-
al business-
skills training
organization
with clients
such as BAE,
Siemens, Erics-
son, ECB and
Coca-Cola.
Cognosis spe-
cializes in
international
training pro-
grammes in
business ne-
gotiations and
management.
Anne Neppare
holds an MA
from Stockholm
University and
has studied
at Harvard
Business School
and INSEAD. http://www.
cognosis.se/en

business school
[(bIznEs sku:l]
, wirtschaftswissen-
schaftliche Fakultät
MA [)em (eI]
, Master of Arts

negotiation
[nI)gEUSi(eIS&n]
, Verhandlung
Free download pdf