The structure of a negotiation

Produced in partnership with Beth Pipe FCIPD of OnLive Learning

Practice notes

The structure of a negotiation

Produced in partnership with Beth Pipe FCIPD of OnLive Learning

Practice notes

When entering into any negotiation, be it a multimillion pound business deal or an agreeing the office coffee rota, there are two main elements to consider:

•
the structure and stages of the negotiation
•
the human aspect—emotions and negotiation style

This Practice Note covers the first element:

See Practice Note: The human side of negotiation for guidance on the second element.

The structure of the negotiation

A negotiation typically has five stages:

•
planning—what you need to prepare before the negotiation
•
discussions—where you establish what is on the table
•
proposals and concessions—where the main negotiating happens
•
agreement—finalising terms
•
making it work—putting the negotiated solution into practice

Most people focus on the central three stages, but by spending more time planning, you can put yourself in a stronger and more confident position. There is also a tendency for people to overlook the fact that the end of the negotiation may signal the start of an ongoing working relationship—consideration of the long-term impact of the negotiation may influence any concessions agreed

Beth Pipe, FCIPD

Learning & Development Specialist/Director, OnLive Learning

Beth is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD) and has spent over 25 years specialising in Learning and Development. During that time she has worked across a broad variety of different industries and has, for the past 15 years, worked closely with a number of well known law firms; this has involved putting in to place systems and structures to encourage, enable and track the effectiveness of learning activities.

Adept at face to face course delivery, and always enjoying excellent feedback, Beth is also accomplished at online delivery and created OnLive Learning in response to the challenges presented by the 2020 Covid-19 restrictions.

Beth has written extensively for UU��ֱ�� on subjects such as Performance Management, Managing Change and Stress Management.

Away from her training delivery she is a published author writing about local history, hiking, wildlife and the outdoors and is currently working on her eleventh book. She is also an experienced radio presenter hosting two shows each week on Lake District Radio.

Jurisdiction(s):

United Kingdom

Key definition:

Agreement definition

What does Agreement mean?

Agreement is broadly defined under EU and UK competition law so as to include activities ranging from a legally enforceable contract between two or more parties to an informal albeit clear understanding, whether entered into in writing or verbally.

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