25 Assertiveness courses delivered Live Online

The 'golden rule' of negotiation is simple - don't! But life's rarely that simple and very often we do have to negotiate, particularly if we want to win the business and especially if we want to win it on our terms. Such negotiations are crucial. We need to prepare for them. We need a strategy, and the skills to execute it. Does your team have a structured approach? Is it flawlessly executed, every time? Or is there room for improvement? This programme will help them master the six fundamentals of closing better business: Manage all these elements well and you will win more business, more profitably. This course will help participants: * Negotiate from a position of partnership, not competition * Deal more effectively and profitably with price objections * Identify and practise successful sales negotiating skills * Identify strengths and weaknesses as a sales negotiator * Understand different types of buyer behaviour * Learn to recognise negotiating tactics and stances * Apply a new and proven structure to their business negotiations * Identify and adapt for different behavioural styles * Be alert to unconscious (non-verbal) communication * Prepare and present a proposal at a final business negotiation stage * Project confidence and exercise assertiveness in all sales negotiations 1 PLANNING FOR SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS This session introduces the concept of business negotiation and looks at its importance in the context of the participants' roles and activities. It briefly examines why we negotiate and the dynamics involved. Session highlights: * What kind of a negotiator are you? * Negotiation skills self-assessment and best practice * How to establish roles and responsibilities for both parties * How to identify and set objectives for both buyer and seller * How to research and establish the other person's position (business negotiation stance) 2 HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR NEGOTIATIONS This module presents an eight-step framework or structure for use in negotiations and considers how best to prepare and plan your negotiations within the context of a supplier/customer relationship or business cycle. It also includes a brief review of legal responsibilities and what constitutes a 'deal'. Session highlights: * Learn and apply a formal structure to use when negotiating * How to establish short- and longer-term objectives and opportunities * How best to plan, prepare and co-ordinate a major business negotiation meeting, or on-going negotiations * Understanding of basic legal and organisational requirements 3 VERBAL NEGOTIATION SKILLS This session examines the human and communication dynamics inherent in any negotiation situation. It emphasises the importance of professional skills in preparing for a negotiation by identifying needs, wants and requirements accurately and by qualifying the competitive and organisational influences present. Session highlights: * How to fully 'qualify' the other party's needs, requirements and constraints during the negotiation process by using advanced questioning and listening skills * How to pre-empt negotiation objections by promoting and gaining commitment to options, benefits, value and solutions * How best to propose and suggest ideas, using drawing-out skills 4 NON-VERBAL NEGOTIATION SKILLS This module highlights how different personal styles, corporate cultures and organisation positions can influence events, and demonstrates practical methods for dealing with and controlling these factors. It also examines key principles of body language and non-verbal communication in a practical way. Session highlights: * Gaining rapport and influencing unconsciously * Understanding the importance of non-verbal communication; reading other people's meaning and communicating effectively as a result * Ensure that non-verbal behaviour is fully utilised and observed to create maximum impact and monitor progress (eg, buying signals) * Recognising that business negotiations are precisely structured and agreements gained incrementally 5 PROPOSING AND 'PACKAGING' This session highlights how best to present and package your proposal. It looks at how to pre-empt the need for negotiating by creating minor-options and 'bargaining' points, as well as how to manage the expectations and perceptions of the customer or buyer. Session highlights: * How to identify the key variables that can be negotiated * The power and use of 'authority' within your negotiations * How to structure and present your proposal, ideas or quotation to best effect * The importance of when and how to identify and influence buyer's objections 6 DEALING WITH PRICE This module highlights how to best present and package price within your proposal or negotiation. In most cases, price has more to do with psychology than affordability and preparation and careful handling are essential. Session highlights: * The three reasons that people will pay your asking price * How to set price in a competitive market * The key differences between selling and negotiating * Ten ways to present price more effectively and persuasively 7 GETTING TO 'YES': TACTICS AND STRATEGIES There are many different tactics and strategies common to successful negotiators. This session looks at those that are most appropriate to the participants' own personal styles and situations. The importance of 'follow-through' is also explained and how to deal with protracted or 'stale-mate' business negotiations. Session highlights: * How to negotiate price and reduce discounting early in the process * How to recognise negotiating tactics and strategies in your customer or supplier * Key strategies, techniques and tactics to use in negotiation * The importance of follow-through and watching the details * How to deal with stalled business negotiations or competitor 'lock-out' 8 CASE STUDIES AND REVIEW This session examines a number of different situations and participants discuss ways to approach each. This will allow learning to be consolidated and applied in a very practical way. There will also be a chance to have individual points raised in a question and answer session. Session highlights: * Case studies * Question and answer * Planning worksheet * Negotiation 'toolkit' and check-list 9 PERSONAL ACTION PLANS Session highlights: * Identify the most important personal learning points from the programme * Highlight specific actions and goals * Flag topics for future personal development and improvement

Negotiation is an everyday challenge for some whether it be in the office, field or at home. Have you ever walked away from a situation thinking "if I'd only put my thoughts, side, opinion or words across better"? This 2-day course is perfect for managers, supervisors and sales people. It will focus on negotiation skills and the techniques that go with it. In this energy-charged provision you'll learn and practice negotiation, assertiveness and influencing techniques. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Course Syllabus The syllabus of the Effective Communication and Influencing course is comprised of seven modules, covering the following: Module One An Introduction to Negotiation * Assessment of your current sales and negotiation strengths and improvement areas * What is negotiation? * Identifying objectives and all factors affecting negotiation * The negotiation model - the four stages Module Two The Preparation Stage * The significance of preparation and why we need to prepare * What do you need to prepare? * Preparing a set of objectives: yours and theirs * Understanding constants and variables * Researching the other party * Creating a "win-win" situation * Preparing yourself for possible set-backs and objections Module Three The Discussion Stage * The importance of rapport building * Opening the negotiation * The power of effective questioning techniques * Improving your listening skills * Controlling emotions * Spotting the signs - non-verbal communication and voice clues Module Four The Proposing Stage * Stating your opening position * Responding to offers * How to deal effectively with adjournments Module Five The Bargaining and Closing Stage * Making concessions - the techniques * Adopting key bargaining skills * Dealing with objections and underhand tactics * Closing techniques * Confirming the agreement * Creating long term, lasting commitment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCHEDULED COURSES Unfortunately this course is not one that is currently scheduled as an open course, and is only available on an in-house basis. Please contact us for more information.

Learn the skills, knowledge and have the confidence to tackle difficult conversations in a productive way. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) Do you worry about how to give negative feedback or deal with performance issues? Are you concerned about giving bad news? This workshop is designed to give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to tackle these scenarios in a productive way. If you are a people manager, team leader or supervisor looking to make those challenging conversations less stressful and more effective, this workshop is for you. Lots of practical sessions will ensure you have the opportunity to relate your learning to your real life work situations. The one day session will use professional actors in the afternoon so that you can practice handling real-life challenging conversations. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: * Deal with a wide range of challenging conversations * Describe the preferred behavioural style for giving feedback * State the most appropriate influencing technique to use in your situations * Explain how to give successful constructive feedback CONTENT WHAT ARE CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS * What type of challenging conversations occur? * Why do we find them challenging? COMMUNICATION  * Practical exercise to demonstrate and act as a refresher of the fundamentals of communication * Barriers to communication especially in a difficult discussion CHOOSING THE RIGHT BEHAVIOURAL STYLE * Refresher of assertiveness and why it is important in this context * Practical exercise demonstrating how behaviour breeds behaviour, and the impact of choosing an inappropriate style * Steps to using assertive behaviour INFLUENCING * Cialdini’s model for influence * How to use influencing techniques in handling challenging conversations * Practical application FEEDBACK  * Understanding feedback – positive vs. negative * Using the ABCBC model for feedback * Using the basics of emotional intelligence to give effective feedback * Practical application PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES * Professional actors will work with you in small groups in the afternoon to practice real-life challenging conversations.

Understand and explore what you and others do that develops and destroys working relationships. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COURSE OVERVIEW Duration: 2 days (13 hours) This is an exciting opportunity to dive into the very heart of human behaviour as we encourage you to explore what you and others do that develops and destroys working relationships.  We start by getting you to determine where in your working life you need to develop effective relationships before guiding you through a process of analysing personalities and behaviours and then giving you the skills to create and maintain great relationships.  OBJECTIVES  By the end of the course you will be able to: * Create a stakeholder map and analyse which relationships need to be developed * Describe different personality types and how these can cause connection and conflict * Develop behaviours that help build relationships * Bring more assertiveness to your relationships * Have courageous conversations and handle conflict should it occur CONTENT GETTING STARTED * The benefits of great working relationships * Determining what you want specifically from your relationships at work * Developing a stakeholder map to enable you to analyse who you need to build relationships with and how you might do this * Defining your personal brand * How your personal brand could impact relationships UNDERSTANDING OTHERS * Exploring different personality types * Understanding how others are both similar and different to you * Identifying when personality differences might cause conflict BETTER BEHAVIOUR * Exploring the concept of transactional analysis * How transactional analysis can help to build or break relationships * Understanding life positions * How life positions impact your behaviour and that of others * How to use transactional analysis in creating better relationships DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS * Understanding the common ways poor communication can cause problems in relationships * Developing assertive communication * Making human connections at work in order to build better relationships and create trust MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIPS * Recognition and Tiny Noticeable Things * How to have courageous conversations e.g. giving feedback * A model for handling conflict when it occurs

Unlock the power of effective negotiation. Gain essential skills to navigate complex deals, build lasting partnerships, and achieve optimal outcomes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COURSE OVERVIEW Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) This course is designed for those who need to understand and be able to use essential negotiation skills to make them more effective in their role. Externally you maybe negotiating with suppliers, customers, regulatory authorities and other organisations. Internally you will be negotiating with stakeholders, colleagues, and team members which could be for resources, time, budget or facilities. Being able to negotiate agreements that are acceptable to all parties requires skill and is essential to maintain healthy, functional relationships. This will be a facilitated workshop designed to be flexible to achieve the desired outcome. We will achieve the objectives through a mixture of facilitated discussion, interactive exercises designed to give insight and facilitator input. During the day we will deal with the stages of a negotiation from preparation to closing. Individuals will get the opportunity to practice the skills needed to create win-win outcomes through a number of generic but realistic scenarios. OBJECTIVES By the end of the course you will be able to: * State the principles of effective negotiation * Prepare effectively for different types of negotiation * Set negotiation objectives and identify what can be ‘traded’ * Explain how assertiveness and influencing skills can affect outcomes * Deploy appropriate strategies and tactics to achieve the best results * Use different techniques to deal with difficult customers and difficult situations CONTENT INFLUENCING  * Seek first to understand, and then be understood * The importance of understanding the other party’s position and how to do it * The power of non-verbal communication * Dealing with difficult customers and difficult situations whilst maintaining a positive relationship HOW TO APPROACH NEGOTIATIONS * Identifying potential negotiations and preparing for potential outcomes * Aiming for results which deliver win/win outcomes * Developing a win/win mindset and behaviours * Rights and responsibilities of negotiators SETTING NEGOTIATION OBJECTIVES * Clarifying essential, desirable and ideal objectives * Assessing the most favoured, realistic target and walk away positions THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS  * The importance of preparation * Creating an opening proposal * Where to pitch the opening proposal BARGAINING/TRADING - GAINING MOMENTUM * Knowing your parameters – what can be traded? * Choosing a strategy and tactics * Dealing with questionable tactics and ploys * Building rapport – the communication process * Asking the right questions and active listening * Being assertive, demanding your rights and ensuring you meet your responsibilities CLOSING TECHNIQUES * Trial and actual closing techniques * Signalling * Summarising and documenting the agreement * Follow up and implementation of the deal