Introduction
Effective Communication is an important skill that plays a huge role in social and business settings. Individuals who have mastered the art of communication can be considered generally better negotiators. William Ury and Herb Cohen are some of the most renowned negotiators who have left a mark as masters of their art by taking advantage of their characteristics and philosophical understanding of communication skills to undertake arbitration. Although they use varying methods and approaches, they have still been able to reach the top levels of mediation and arbitration. There are many situations where negotiation skills come in handy including making a sales pitch, a hostage situation, or even general disagreements between individuals or parties. Negotiators use different approaches and skills in the process to provide effective arbitration.
Discussion
Negotiation is an essential skill that helps people to solve their day-to-day differences and eventually come to an agreement. In a creative economy, there is a need for an individual to understand the dynamics of effective communications. An understanding of the approach towards negotiations will provide an individual with an advantage and eventual wins (Tarantino-Curseri, 2017). One of the fundamental approaches towards effective communication negotiations is understanding the action plan process.
William Ury is a speaker and author who has stamped authority as a negotiator and mediator across the globe. Furthermore, he is also famous for co-founding Harvard’s Program on Negotiation. Some of the most notable conflicts that he has been a negotiator include the Middle East ethnic wars and the strikes at the Kentucky wildcat coal mine (Rubinstein, 2021). Ury also serves as the senior advisor to Colombia’s President Juan Santos. Historically, he has been instrumental in solving and negotiating to avert an accidental nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1980s.
Ury presents effective negotiation as a process that is defined by four factors which are providing various options during a negotiation, focusing the discussion on interests rather than focusing on positions, ability to distinguish the problem at hand and parties involved, and also the insistence of setting agreement of the discussion on an objective criterion. In short, Ury advocates principled negotiation as the most efficient method. Therefore, Ury targets to get a yes from every negotiation which can be important in the business world as a yes brings about
Herb Cohen is yet another world-renowned negotiator and mediator who has arbitrated many conflicts. He builds his negotiation foundation on the philosophy that the world is a giant negotiation table, thereby making everyone in the world a negotiator (Latz, 2021). Therefore, he views his interactions with everyone as negotiation and follows the same ideologies to formulating trade negotiation guides. He has authored many books and he is considered the ‘King of Negotiation’. Cohen makes use of a win-win strategy when negotiating which is considered an effective method.
Negotiation is an application of communication skills that drives the world economy. Business agreements, deals, sales, and transactions involve at least two parties. This means the seller should be able to communicate their products and price and convince the customer to buy (Fatehi & Choi, 2019). On the other hand, the buyer can communicate their price preference and convince the seller to sell the product or service at a certain cost. An economy is built around trade and for trade to take place a buyer and a seller negotiate the terms of sale. This means that an individual or party that is good in communication can make use of their skills to negotiate in the best way. Negotiations form the building block of any economy as all transactions involve negotiated terms of business. In an economy where buyers, sellers, government authorities, and suppliers can negotiate effectively, the economy is bound to improve. However, if a party cannot negotiate well, then the economy might dwindle. For instance, in case government authorities legislate policies that do not provide a conducive business environment, the business community should mull the negotiation towards a win-win outcome. This is bound to ensure that the outcome of the discussion is appealing to both parties.
While Ury proposes efficiency in negotiation, Cohen goes for effectiveness. This means that using Cohen’s approach means sealing the deal under all costs no matter how long the negotiation takes or the effects of the outcome. On the other hand, Ury considers the process to be efficient without affecting the relationships after the deal is made (Ebner, 2017). There are also conflicts all over the world and there is always an arbitrator who seeks to get the conflicting parties to agree to end the disagreement. Business negotiators can be considered as negotiators in such cases as they have learned the art of effective communication and arbitration (Latz, 2021). Effective negotiation in hostage situations, business deals, conflicts, and other situations all use the same principles. For one to win a negotiation, one needs to understand communication skills. Ury and Cohen are popularly known to have been apt communicators, thus making them apex negotiators.
There is a need to understand the action plan process in effective communication to win an argument. Both William Ury and Herb Cohen are known to have applied the action plan process in their negotiation process. The first step is to define the problem at hand which will help to ensure that the problem has been properly described and understood. The next step is for an individual to collect data about the problem and analyze trying to understand the various angles from which the problem can be handled. After this analysis, the problem is clarified and categorized into a set of priorities. This classification of the larger problem will allow creating a goal statement for each proposed solution. At this point, the solution is implemented as an action plan. Once the problem has been solved, there is a need to monitor the implemented solution. Once this has been done, the problem can be redefined or new problems solved. This is an important and effective definition of how negotiations can be structured as per Cohen’s method. It is important as it guides the decision-making process. Each stage of the negotiation or arbitration is considered appropriate and then a decision is made at each stage until the negotiation is completed.
Decision-making is not the only factor that is considered in effective communication negotiation. Using Cohen’s approach, this can be handled well by communicating effectively and making decisions (Usunier, 2018). On the other hand, change management is important. After a negotiation, there will be changes that will be brought about by the agreement. During the negotiation process, it is essential to understand that the parties involved can manage the changes that appear. Change management is hinged on the ability of a negotiator to communicate. Effective communication can allow the negotiator to convey the changes and manage them appropriately.
Leadership behavior is pivotal in the negotiation process as it allows the negotiators to portray their intentions from the discussion. During a negotiation process, the parties involved might be derailed from the main points of discussion as a result of various factors such as varying personalities and behavior (Schweinsberg, Thau & Pillutla, 2022). A negotiator should ensure that they can lead in the management of their behavior. This means that a negotiator should consider their ethics and morals when undertaking a negotiation. Getting a yes at the end of the negotiation is not the only way one can win a discussion. Once parties are in negotiations, it is a chance for them to communicate their interests and preferences and the reason they have taken a given stand. This means that failing to get a yes might imply failure in the negotiation, but a failed negotiation happens with how a negotiator handles failed negotiations. Therefore, effective communication and an ethical approach are the guides to effective negotiations and a win-win approach.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ury and Cohen have indeed portrayed that effective communication is an important negotiation skill in a creative economy. From the discussion above, it is apparent that Ury and Cohen use different approaches in undertaking effective communication in negotiation. While Cohen considers going for a win-win proposal during the negotiation, Ury chooses to go for an effective approach whereby he pushes the negotiation to the approach that guarantees a win depending on the nature of the discussion. These are varying approaches to negotiation and as a result, a negotiator is free to choose what suits their personality and situation.
References
Ebner, N. (2017). Communication in Negotiation. Negotiation in Chinese and English. Hangzhou, China: Zhejiang Educational Press, Forthcoming.
Fatehi, K., & Choi, J. (2019). International communication and negotiation. In International Business Management (pp. 109-143). Springer, Cham.
Latz, M. E. (2021). The Book of Real-World Negotiations: Successful Strategies from Business, Government, and Daily Life. Negotiation Journal, 37(3), 403-415.
Rubinstein, R. A. (2021). Culture and negotiation. In The Struggle for Peace (pp. 116-129). University of Texas Press.
Schweinsberg, M., Thau, S., & Pillutla, M. M. (2022). Negotiation impasses: types, causes, and resolutions. journal of management, 48(1), 49-76.
Tarantino-Curseri, S. (2017). A brief overview on some areas of knowledge necessary for a successful negotiation. Suma de Negocios, 8(17), 63-78.
Usunier, J. C. (2018). Intercultural Business Negotiations: Deal-making Or Relationship Building?. Routledge.