Negotiating with Co-negotiators or Against a Negotiating Team Requires Good Team Building Skills

Negotiations are comprised of small groups of people struggling to accomplish a mission. Such groups can be viewed as teams. Teams are management challenges. When viewed collectively, the two opposing negotiating forces actually comprise a potential team populated by competing forces. This discord threatens the team environment.

If you are expanding your team, you are adding the management challenge of having to manage the people on your team. You assume responsibility for your team’s preparation, pre-engagement research and the role each co-negotiator will play. You need most importantly to establish a global goal for the team and strategy for the pending session. If you are part of a negotiating team but not the team leader, make sure you know the team’s goals and objectives. If they are not clear, ask for clarification. Success is being part of a winning team; not knowing why your team failed. Worse yet is to not know why!
If the other side brings in a team of negotiators, You need to take steps to engage and manage their team.

If you are facing a team of negotiators, welcome the opportunity as a management challenge. Apply basic team building tactics to begin to merger the two teams:

- Welcome the other team to the negotiation.

- Observe the other team’s pecking order and note who your prime opponent defers to, if anyone. This may tell you who the real decision maker is.

- Don’t assume the primary speaker is the actual team leader or decision maker.

- Pepper random members of the other team to uncover latent leaders or issues that need to be addressed.
Interview each new member of the team as to their role, qualifications and specific area of expertise.

- Establish your role as the overall discussion leader stating clearly and concisely the objective of the day’s discussions.

- Look for areas of disagreement or conflict between the other team members. Typically non-verbal communications reveal such discord.

- Take time to fully debrief the other team, individually, before launching into the issues of the day.

Negotiating is small group management challenge. Seek to engage and involve the other team as part of the collective team. This will predictably come as a surprise to them. Confusing your opponent is often a viable negotiating tactic.

The group is dysfunctional at the start. Their are conflicting goals and objectives. You can establish an informal leadership role if you are able to establish a common goal for the collective group. This is not as hard as it sounds. You have all invested the time and money to attend the meeting. That presumes a common goal. Try to find a way to establish that goal as the primary purpose of the meeting in a fashion that addresses the needs of both sides.

Best Presents for Men

Deciding on the best presents for men often times can be quite frustrating for a lot of women. This is partly due to the fact that when it comes to giving gifts and receiving gifts, men are more subtle than women. While a woman will most likely come outright to convey her needs and desires, a man would probably be tactful about it.

Nevertheless, I have come to realize that men much like the ladies love receiving gifts as well. They may not be as outspoken as the women about what they want for a gift but from my experience, men truly feel special when they receive one.

This in my opinion should be the reason we as women should learn to understand our men so that we can be able to give them a different but relevant gift each and every occasion. No matter how small the gift is, they would still appreciate it. Men absolutely love to be cared for, love the attention, love to be pampered, and certainly love to be showered with gifts.

After a few years of studying my man and some of his friends, I have some understanding of the sort of gifts most men would love and in this piece of writing, I have highlighted a few of the best presents for men.

Fashion: Believe it or not our men love to look good. Gifts like shirts, trousers, shoes and belts would make them even better-looking. Make sure you know your companion’s size before you get him any of these items.

Chocolate and desserts: Much like women, men love sweet things. Chocolates and desserts will be a real treat for those men who really love them. Chocolate represents so many things and would be a good and simple gift to give a man especially on Valentine or Christmas.

Jewellery: if you’ve got a boyfriend or a husband who loves gems and glittery, then go ahead and get him some jewellery, watches and accessories. You will never go wrong with a wrist watch especially if you want to play it safe. Wrist watches are one of the best presents for men and are also readily available.

Be romantic: Do something romantic, unusual! For his birthday, give him a surprise birthday bash or a surprise day of pampering. You can include handwritten love notes to lead him to the surprise package.

A Special treat: It is important to note that when considering gift Ideas for men, physical items are not the only type of gifts to be considered. You can also give a gift of experience, event or occasion. Treat your man to a romantic getaway in a special place or take him on a cruise.

Green Christmas Presents: Top 5 Choices

When it comes to Christmas shopping, many have enough trouble as it is simply finding adequate gifts at all without having to shop green too. However, finding the perfect earth friendly gifts for your friends and loved ones doesn’t have to be a hassle. Consider these top 5 green Christmas presents as you hit the mall this year.

1. Food and Cooking Supplies: Do you have a relative who loves to cook? In this day and age, finding everything from organic snacks to eco-friendly cookware can be quite difficult. Any hardcore chefs or food lovers in your family will love items such as compost kits, seed packets, clay pots and pans, bamboo cutlery, chocolate kits, canning supplies, or solar ovens.

2. Green Fabrics and Cloth Alternatives: Finding organic or recycled cloth can also be tricky as well as expensive. However, there are plenty of ways to find recycled cotton, as a cheaper alternative. However, if cotton proves too expensive, there are plenty of alternative materials for doormats, place mats, throw rugs, sheets, clothing and more made from materials such as recycled plastic, rubber, bamboo, and more. These creative, colorful alternatives are stylish, comfortable, and eye catching alternatives to traditional cloth. Do you have any relatives who enjoy making their own fabrics? Try purchasing handmade llama yarn or recycled cotton for their next project.

3. Health Supplies: There are plenty of alternative health goodies you can consider when shopping for the top five green Christmas presents. Whether you have a relative with a sensitivity to chemicals or simply someone who is health conscious, there are plenty of gifts to consider, from paraben free hand lotion to quality vitamins, supplements, smoothie mixes, essential oils, yoga mats, and much more. Other practical gifts include organic household cleaners, soaps, bath bombs, and many others.

4. Paper Gifts: Whether you’re gifting a relative with personalized business cards, stationary, notebooks, or sketchpads, finding recycled paper products isn’t a difficult endeavor. Contrary to popular belief, not all recycled paper is pulpy or rough, though there are many products that are created that way for a more organic look. There are thousands of elegant paper goods that you wouldn’t be able to tell from original paper products. Along with paper recycled from paper, you can also pick out paper goods recycled from other materials, such as plastic, bamboo, denim, and more. Just be sure to make absolutely sure that the packaging reads 100% recycled before you purchase it. For an additional twist, try buying paper products with soy based inks as well.

5. Donations: If you’re having trouble thinking of what to get a loved one this Christmas, there is always the option of donating money in their name. While this may seem like a simple gift, you would be surprised how touching it can actually be to know that your relatives know what ecological issues you’re passionate about. Out of the top five green Christmas gifts, this may very well be the easiest to give while having the most impact. Whether you donate money toward organizations dealing with world hunger, animal rescue, endangered species, forest restoration, or cleaning up oil spills, you’ll be able to rest easy in the knowledge that you’ve thought of a gift that will affect the earth in a positive way.