Podcast on Negotiation

Mark Raffan, an acclaimed negotiation trainer, speaker, podcast host, and renowned entrepreneur, hails from a family of entrepreneurs. His affinity for sales, negotiation, and conflict management has been a constant throughout his life.

Before founding Negotiations Ninja, one of the best negotiation podcasts in the world, Mark climbed the corporate ladder through sales and procurement roles, gaining exposure to diverse industries. However, the allure of entrepreneurship and a passion for promoting effective negotiation practices became irresistible. Mark initiated a blog and podcast to champion negotiation excellence, giving rise to the widely successful Negotiations Ninja™ platform.

The blog and podcast quickly garnered a global audience, leading to numerous training requests for Mark and the pivotal decision to leave the corporate realm and dedicate himself entirely to the development of Negotiations Ninja™. The platform gained rapid recognition, expanding its reach to major companies worldwide across North America, Central America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

In this episode, we introduce Mark's new book: "9 Secrets to Win Deals and Influence Stakeholders: A Field Guide to B2B Negotiations", which includes a practical framework designed to optimize the negotiation outcomes for B2B salespeople written from a perspective of a senior procurement professional. Mark provides a brief overview of the background and the journey that led him to writing the book. Our discussion revolves around the key principles and secrets outlined in the book. In a nutshell, Mark distills the essence of his work, offering a sneak peek into the actionable ideas that can elevate B2B negotiations to new heights. We explore the most recent dynamics in the nature of the field and talk about AI and the impact it will have on B2B negotiations in the future. We also discuss the importance of negotiators adapting their strategies. The title of the book emphasizes influencing stakeholders, and Mark shares how negotiators can effectively manage and influence key stakeholders in a B2B context. Navigating the fine line between additional economic gains and ethics is a critical aspect of negotiations. Mark shares his approach to ethical standards in negotiations, ensuring an optimal outcome. Mark leaves our listeners with a powerful message and a piece of advice regarding B2B negotiations, drawing from their wealth of knowledge and experience. As always, our conversation concludes with Mark reflecting on greatness in negotiation, highlighting historical or contemporary individuals who negotiate exceptionally well.

Keld Jensen is a recognized negotiation expert, who does not need an extensive introduction. With over three decades of experience in global management and negotiation, he is a sought-after guest lecturer in negotiation, trust-building, behavioral economics, and impression management at prestigious Executive MBA institutions worldwide. Keld has authored and published 24 books across 36 countries. His renowned work "Negotiating Partnership" has been translated into four languages and published in over 28 countries. He contributes feature articles to both national and international press and appears on broadcasts as an esteemed commentator on global business matters. Keld is a frequent keynote speaker at international conferences and has collaborated with numerous global corporations, providing training and consulting services. Keld Jensen is the founder and CEO of the Center for Negotiation, a consultancy and training organization that collaborates with private enterprises and governmental entities across Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. His impressive client list includes major names like Lego, B&O, Mercedes, ThermoFisher, as well as various governments and NGOs. Keld is recognized as one of the "Leading Business Minds" by the Financial Times. In our podcast, we will talk about his latest book "Negotiation Essentials," in which Keld simplifies the complexity of negotiation and breaks down the process into easily digestible segments. The book delves into significant negotiating concepts, encompassing distinctions between exceptional, proficient, and ineffective negotiators; optimal timing, location, and strategies for negotiation; the art of declining; interpretation of nonverbal cues; the influence of emotions, stress, and personal dynamics on decision-making; and behavioral tendencies of highly successful negotiators. "Negotiation Essentials" is structured into three main sections: THE ESSENTIALS - elucidates how to recognize a negotiation, assess the winning party, appreciate the role of preparation, formulate a successful negotiation strategy, and more. THE ESSENTIALS APPLIED - commences with an evaluation to identify areas for negotiation improvement, then instructs on the application of ten crucial negotiation phrases, elucidates five distinct negotiation styles and their utilization, and much more. BEYOND THE ESSENTIALS - delves into cross-cultural negotiation, the impact of emotions, stress, personal dynamics, and trust in negotiations, differentiation between face-to-face and online negotiations, and the principles of the award-winning Negotiation Economics philosophy—offering the potential to realize up to 42% additional value. Each chapter of "Negotiation Essentials" concludes with essential takeaways, assessments, diagrams, color illustrations, and actionable steps. The book wraps up with a Negotiating Essentials Toolkit, featuring pre- and post-negotiation checklists for professional negotiators.

In this episode, we delve into the transformative power of deliberate negotiation practice with the insightful Philip Brown. With over 25 years of successful procurement experience, Philip realized that traditional training falls short without consistent practice. Join us as we explore how he identified this crucial gap and, in response, created The Negotiation Club, a thriving community designed for honing negotiation skills. During our podcast, Philip shares how he discovered the importance of negotiation practice during his impressive procurement career. He describes challenges he has encountered in traditional negotiation training, and how those experiences led him to create The Negotiation Club. Philip introduces The Negotiation Club's role as a nurturing space for practicing negotiation. We learn about the motivating factors that drove the establishment of this platform, which seeks to empower individuals with the tools to excel in negotiation scenarios across various contexts. Our discussion then shifts to the practical aspect of The Negotiation Club – its practice sessions with Philip's negotiation cards. A detailed glimpse is provided into how these sessions unfold, shedding light on the structure, methodologies, and engagement strategies that make these practice opportunities effective and transformative. One of the challenges addressed is the common fear of negotiation that many individuals experience. Philip sheds light on how regular practice within The Negotiation Club plays a pivotal role in dismantling this fear, cultivating confidence, and nurturing individuals into adept negotiators.For those embarking on their negotiation journey, seeking guidance on effective practice methods, the interview provides invaluable advice from the expert. Philip shares also practical tips and strategies to guide newcomers toward mastering negotiation skills and achieving success. He unveiles the architecture of practice sessions within The Negotiation Club, emphasizing the commitment to continuous improvement. The structured approach ensures that members are consistently enhancing their negotiation prowess through purposeful exercises and feedback mechanisms. Throughout the interview, the transformative impact of The Negotiation Club's practice-focused approach is underscored by the sharing of success stories and real-world examples. Individuals who have greatly benefited from the platform's strategies and insights exemplify the effectiveness of this unique community. The interview concludes with Philip's description of the best negotiator he has ever encountered. If you're looking to enhance your negotiation skills, this episode is a must-listen.

In this episode, we introduce the negotiators, who won the last editions of The Negotiation Challenge for Professionals, our unofficial Negotiation World Championship:

Derek Pead

Giulia Villirilli

Frederick Altrock

Theodora Tzortzoglou.

During our event, we discuss their negotiation experience, their road to TNC for Professionals, their experience during the competition, their biggest lessons they learned, and their recommendations for negotiators interested in pursuing the path to negotiation mastery.

Stephen Weiss is a negotiation professor with over 40 years of experience. He specializes in personalized feedback and advice for negotiation and communication in international arenas. He offers guidance and support for effective interaction among diverse individuals, groups and organizations. His academic career has been devoted to international business negotiation as a field of knowledge and practice. Steve holds a full-time, tenured faculty appointment at the Schulich School of Business - York University in Toronto, Canada. He also taught for several years at HEC Paris in France and at NYU Stern School of Business in the USA. An award-winning teacher, he has given classes or research seminars at over 50 universities in 15 countries. As a consultant and coach, Dr. Weiss has delivered a variety of open-enrollment and customized programs. His 30 clients to date include companies such as AT&T, American Express Canada, Celestica, Citi (India), and Dassault Aviation and government organizations such as the European Patent Office, Beijing (China) municipal officials, the Ontario Public Service (Canada) and the Southern African Development Community. With Steve we talk about how he became interested in negotiation before it got established as a serious academic discipline, how much this field has changed over the last decades and what were the main drivers of those changes? We also discuss the role of culture in international negotiation and whether our interest in culture has decreased recently. Steve also recalls the real-life international negotiations that he has converted into mega simulations and shares the main lessons we can learn from them. We also phantasize together how the field of international negotiation will be evolving in the future, and what trends will shape the way that people negotiate in the years to come. Finally, Steve shares his advice to the governments around concerning climate negotiation and to aspiring negotiators.

For over two decades, Moshe Cohen has been helping people unlock their potential to negotiate more effectively, communicate more skillfully, lead more purposefully, and manage conflict more artfully. His book, Collywobbles: How to Negotiate When Negotiating Makes You Nervous, combines negotiation with emotional intelligence to help you overcome emotional barriers, apply your skills, and become a more effective negotiator.

Moshe has been helping people improve their skills since 1995 when he founded The Negotiating Table and has been teaching Questrom School of Business, Boston University since 2000. Moshe has worked with thousands of students as well as companies and organizations all over the world. As a mediator he has worked to resolve hundreds of matters, and has also coached executives, managers, and individuals on negotiating more effectively.

In this episode, Moshe, a physicist and an engineer by training, explains how he got into the field of negotiation and whether his technical background helps him at the negotiation table. He also shares what inspired him to write "Collywobbles" and gives a brief overview of the key themes and topics covered in his book. Moshe also explains why negotiation makes us nervous and what are the consequences of nervousness in general and in particular in negotiation. We also discuss how we can achieve better negotiation results despite nervousness and anxiety.

Michael Mcilwrath is a global leader in dispute resolution. He has dedicated his career to resolving conflict through international negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and court litigation, and also by promoting broader access to civil justice that is fair and efficient.

Michael has conducted mediations and arbitrations around the world under the rules of the leading international and regional institutions as well as domestic and international ad hoc procedures.

Michael spent 22 years as in-house counsel leading dispute resolution teams, most recently as Vice-President of Litigation for Baker Hughes, an energy technology company. Prior to that he was Global Chief Litigation Counsel for GE Oil & Gas, and GE's lead litigation lawyer for Europe. His experience spans the range of disputes arising in technology and services industries, including oil & gas, renewable energy, transportation infrastructure, environmental, healthcare, M&A, and intellectual property.

In our chat, Michael recalls how he got into the field of negotiation and dispute resolution and shares the most memorable dispute he has ever resolved. He also lists the most common issues that arise during the processes of resolving disputes around international commercial contracts and the aspects that individuals and businesses should focus on when negotiating them. Michael also answers a question from Chat GPT: What is the most effective approach to negotiating international commercial contracts and why? He also talks about what inspired him to write his book: "Negotiating International Commercial Contracts" and gives a brief overview of the key themes and topics covered in his book. He also reflects upon the recent changes in the global business environment and how they have impacted international contract negotiations. We also speculate whether Chat GPT or other AI machines will replace us at the negotiating table. Concluding, Michael shares practical tips or advice for those looking to enhance their negotiation skills in the context of international commercial contracts.

Giuseppe Conti is the founder and CEO of Conti Advanced Business Learning, a firm that offers customized training in the field of negotiation and influencing.

Giuseppe is an award-winning lecturer, recognized for his lively and interactive training workshops across a number of the leading business schools in Europe.

Giuseppe is a Professor in Negotiation & Influencing and regularly runs workshops on four continents. To date, corporate leaders from multinational corporations and individuals from over 145 different countries have attended his workshops.

Giuseppe is an accomplished negotiator and integrates into his training over 25 years of executive-level experience at Blue Chip corporations (Procter & Gamble, Novartis, Firmenich, Merck).

With Giuseppe we talk about what it means to influence others and what knowledge, skills and behaviors we need to be good at influencing. We define the concepts of push vs pull energy and their impact on influencing. We also discuss the differences between negotiating with external parties and influencing internal stakeholders and how to deal with demanding internal stakeholders. Giuseppe introduces his great 5P influencing framework and shares his advice how we can improve our ability to influence internal stakeholders?