Self-Reflective Paper on Negotiations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Self-Reflective Paper on Negotiations - Essay Example These are just a few examples of different types of negotiation. However, negotiating skills are not unique to lawyers and limited to the legal fraternity only. At one particular moment, all of us regularly need to negotiate with colleagues, friends and in a wide range of business transactions (Stone, 26). As such, this reflective essay seeks to critically evaluate my strengths as a negotiator as well as weaknesses. These evaluative points are going to be supported by concrete evidence from various negotiations and exercises that have been covered during my learning experience. The paper starts by explaining the meaning of negotiation in order to grasp the meaning of the whole concept. This is followed by a detailed analysis of different subjects involved in the negotiation process. The negotiation process Negotiation characterises the relations between individuals and is closely connected with speech as well as nonverbal communication (Kennedy, 47). Essentially, negotiation is mainl y concerned with reaching an agreement based on mutual understanding between the parties involved in the process. It can bring different parties with completely different views together and these can reach an agreement. Therefore, negotiation is described as a process in which two or more parties exchange goods or services and attempt to agree upon the exchange rate for them (Robbins, 459). The monitory value in this case is seen as very important when people engage in negotiation since it is binding. In most cases, people involved in a negotiation seek to bargain from the process since they often prefer a win-win situation towards reaching an acceptable agreement. For the sake of clarity, this paper will discuss in detail the different processes and stages involved in a negotiation and it will also outline my weaknesses and strengths in each section based on the experience gained from different negotiations encountered during my academic career. In this case, I will limit my discus sion to the experience gained in a role played negotiation involving a case of sexual harassment between Ms Jane Doe and Professor Palsgraf. I represented Ms. Doe where she is negotiating for an out of court settlement involving a case of sexual harassment by the professor. The professor made sexually suggestive statements to Jane outside class but she revoked them and this contributed to her failing the subject taught by the professor. As such, this has necessitated a negotiation in a bid to find an amicable settlement to this particular issue. Non verbal negotiation It can be observed that the advent of the internet has revolutionised the communication landscape during the contemporary period. As such, online negotiation is quickly becoming more common during these days where it can be seen that efforts are being made to create new solutions to the problems that already exist using this technique (Kennedy, 132). People can still negotiate without using verbal communication in a fa ce to face situation. Such kind of communication is very effective in that it removes barriers to communication such as male dominance in a face to face situation. Through the use of online communication, a mutual agreement can be easily reached given that there is no party which is under pressure from the other. From the experience I have gained as a negotiator, I find this method quite manageable given that non verbal communication strategy is hassle free since it can be carried out from any position. It can also be noted that agreements reached are binding and they are usually based on mutual understanding. Factors taken into consideration when preparing a negotiation Craver (209) posits to the effect that there are different