#negotiationsupport

One can negotiate with terrorist organisations.  And sometimes with individual terrorists themselves.  But the only way to negotiate with terrorism as a phenomenon is to negotiate with ourselves.

Terror is not created by the deaths of 12 individuals.  But by the narratives of black hoods, Kalashnikovs, uncertain next steps.

The strongest individuals in France today are those who are not 'Charlie', but themselves.  Who are choosing not to be crippled with narrative-driven fear.  To sit in cafes in Paris, Lille, Strasbourg, Marseilles...  To talk.  To laugh. To read satire. To just be.  

Individual loss is tragic enough for those families.  Mass fear would be a dishonour to the beliefs and values of those satirists lost.

The end goal of these people is not the killing of small groups of people, but to terrorise continents of hundreds of millions of people.  We can deny that goal by negotiating away our own hysterics and returning to our rational selves.

Ways to negotiate effectively can not be summarized in just three tips - hence the need for our Frontier Academy Negotiation workshop (shame-free plug) - but it's a start. 

1) Understand the key decision makers. Know these individuals and what motivates them on both a business and personal level, and know the emotion behind what is currently driving them. This will allow you to tailor your message toward their needs, their fears, and their wants. 

2) Separate emotion from outcome, for you personally. Have awareness behind why you want what you want. Your emotions can negatively effect the outcome by blurring wants from needs. For example, think about negotiating the salary you have in mind and being so stuck on that dollar figure that you are unable to weigh both the tangible and intangible benefits of the job - the unlimited vacation policy, for example. 

3) Know your BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement). This is the final outcome you are willing to accept after all options have been exhausted. Though not ideal, it is an option that you should be comfortable with if the original desired outcome cannot be reached. 

For more on negotiation, go here. And keep on the lookout for Scott Wayne's first book, The Cartography of Negotiation, due out this Fall.