How Would Socrates Have Negotiated?
The problem with many negotiators is that they do not direct their questions towards a certain purpose. The art of questioning has to be strategic. To be truly prepared, you need to put some thoughts and time into the type of questions you direct to the other party. Work out the questions with a strategic plan in mind.
Many negotiators believe that by proving inconsistency in the other party is strategic and tactical. They cannot be further from being strategic. When you show that you are trying to provoke them in your questions, you turn on the defensive mode of the other party. You put them on guard and that is not something you want to achieve during a negotiation. As the other party starts to get defensive and closes up to any form of conversation, the negotiation will go nowhere.
The true art is to make the other party open up to you. Lower their defense wall. And attack from a direction they did not anticipate.
Let me introduce the Socratic Method
This wonderful method requires you to understand both the viewpoint of the other party and HOW he came to that conclusion. By truly understanding the other party’s position, you will be able to identify the weak areas and start ripping them apart in a subtle way.
How do you apply the Socratic Method to negotiation?
First, begin by letting the other party express his interest and his decision. Ask him how he would like the negotiation to be resolved. Appear to agree with him at first and acknowledge whatever they are saying to be valid.
Start asking questions that presumably fringed on the main topic of the negotiation, but attacked the weak points into everything the other party has put out during the initial stage of the negotiation.
What you are trying to achieve, is not only to influence the other party to change his initial stand on the issue. But also make it appear to be his own idea.
With this, you truly convince.
You can still hold on to your initial viewpoint but the key is really to act like others. People do not like to believe that they are wrong. They always think that their decision is the best and they strongly believe in it. By proposing a challenge to their belief, you are attacking their ego. Again, you want them to tear down their own position and not build a wall around it.
With this Socratic Method, you will be able to question anyone’s fundamental beliefs in any topic. And of course, essential in negotiations.
Think about how you would apply the Socratic Method for your next negotiation. Email me your thoughts and results. We will evaluate them together.
Remember: Never challenge the other party’s position and viewpoint. Apply the Socratic Method to tear him down.
Jens Thang
Negotiation Skills for Everyone
Want to learn more about negotiation techniques and build your own arsenal of negotiation strategies? Avoid the pain of having to do terrible deals. Jens shares strategies, tactics, techniques, pictures, insights, podcasts, videos, interviews, ideas and stories about NEGOTIATIONS!
Jens is a member of International Association for Conflict Management (IACM).
Visit his site at http://www.thenegotiationguru.com
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