Summary

  • Negotiation is usually seen as a one-off win/lose event – but often, you’re negotiating as part of an ongoing relationship.
  • Focusing purely on your own objectives can short-circuit trust, lead to rigid positions or even ethical missteps.
  • Asking why, not just what, can unlock deeper needs, creative solutions and break deadlocks.
  • The mix of Belbin Team Roles in a negotiator or negotiation team – and knowing the roles of the other party – can make all the difference.
  • Treat negotiation as a collaborative conversation, not a battle – and choose your negotiators and tactics accordingly.

Negotiation is a relationship, not a one-off transaction

We tend to treat negotiation as a discrete, high-stakes event – something adversarial, with winners and losers.

In truth, many negotiations are ongoing interactions. The way you negotiate today can build or erode trust, affect future collaboration and set the tone for what follows.

Being aggressive or rigid might yield a short-term gain – if it doesn’t deadlock – but often at the cost of long-term respect, rapport and mutual value.

Discover the "why"

Build relationships first – then dig into what’s driving demands. Asking why someone wants something gives you insights beyond the surface.

Why questions help you move past positions (what people say they want) to interests (why they want them). Those are far more powerful in finding mutual gain and avoiding impasse.

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A collaborative act of joint problem-solving

If you approach negotiation as a creative, collaborative problem – rather than a fixed agenda or battle – you open up space for unexpected, win-win outcomes.

Holding too tightly to what you think you need slows down flexibility. Let some things flex. You might find better solutions than you imagined.

Choose your negotiator – and know the other side

Belbin Team Roles give you a toolkit for thinking about who should negotiate, how they should behave, and what to expect from your counterpart.

  • Resource Investigators are good at opening up possibilities and establishing rapport – but may need a Co-ordinator or Teamworker to balance listening and collaboration.

  • A Resource Investigator / Completer Finisher combination can be powerful – good at relationships and detail.

  • If you know the other party’s roles, you can anticipate: a Monitor Evaluator will want space to think; a Shaper may feel urgency; a Specialist will dig into specifics.

Negotiating as a team

Large or complex negotiations often need more than one person. A well-composed team can cover more ground: idea-generation, strategy, detail, facilitation.

But only if everyone knows their role. If roles overlap badly or someone steps in at the wrong moment – progress can stall, or details get lost.

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