Aprendamos de los Mas Grandes Negociadores del Mundo...: Alejandro Hernandez Seijo at TEDxValencia

Detailed Insights on Negotiation Techniques

In this section, the speaker shares insights on negotiation techniques derived from observing participants in negotiation courses and successful negotiators.

Observations on Participant Behavior

• Participants unknowingly exhibit effective behaviors during negotiations.

• Successful negotiators globally share a common trait of having a soft voice, emphasizing its impact on negotiation outcomes.

Learning from Children's Behavior

• Children's tendency to ask questions contrasts with adults' reluctance to inquire when uncertain.

• Contrasting responses between children and adults when faced with unfamiliar situations highlight the importance of curiosity and seeking clarification.

The Power of Asking for What You Want

• Children's direct approach in asking for what they desire is contrasted with adults' indirect communication styles.

• A scenario involving two neighbors illustrates the effectiveness of clearly expressing desires in negotiations.

Persistence and Assertiveness

• Children's persistence in seeking information serves as a lesson for assertiveness in communication.

Learning Negotiation Skills from Children

In this section, the speaker discusses how adults can learn negotiation skills from observing children's behavior and tactics.

Observing Children's Negotiation Techniques

• Children approach negotiation differently than adults; they are persistent and unphased by rejection.

• For children, a "no" is just the beginning of negotiation, unlike adults who often see it as the end.

• Children push boundaries in negotiations, testing limits until they get what they want.

• The worst outcome for a child is not rejection but acceptance; they view "yes" as the end of negotiation.

• Parents use negotiation tactics with children, leveraging their preferences to influence behavior.

Negotiation Strategies Modeled by Children

This section explores how children's aggressive negotiation strategies can be observed in various contexts and how these behaviors are learned and adapted over time.

Aggressive Negotiation Tactics

• Children exhibit aggressive negotiation tactics like tantrums to achieve their goals.

• Aggressive behavior in childhood often translates into successful negotiating skills in adulthood.

• Society sometimes rewards aggressive behavior in negotiations rather than cooperation.

Teaching Negotiation through Observation

The speaker highlights how parents inadvertently teach children to yield instead of negotiate effectively, impacting their future negotiating abilities.

Impact of Parental Influence

• Parents often teach children to yield rather than exchange or negotiate.

• Early lessons on yielding lead to adult behaviors like offering discounts in sales.

Sophisticated Negotiation Techniques

This section introduces a sophisticated negotiation technique used by children that involves strategic manipulation to achieve desired outcomes.

The Salami Technique

• Children employ the Salami Technique by gradually pushing boundaries while negotiating with parents.

Detailed Storytelling of a Frisbee Negotiation Game

The speaker recounts a story from 1898 in the United States, specifically in Connecticut, involving a bakery and the transformation of heavy iron molds into lighter tin ones.

Bakery Transformation Story

• The bakery used heavy iron molds for cakes, making them difficult for customers to carry.

• To improve this situation, the bakery switched to tin molds, which were lighter and more manageable.

• Workers at the bakery started playing with the discarded iron molds during breaks in the yard, creating a playful atmosphere.

• Children from a nearby school would watch the adults play with these molds during their recess.

Negotiation as a Frisbee Game

The speaker introduces negotiation as akin to playing frisbee, emphasizing mutual benefit over competition.

Negotiation Insights

• In negotiation, both parties can win; it's not about one side losing. This concept is likened to playing frisbee where everyone gains.

• Negotiation is highlighted as a game where both sides benefit compared to activities like arguing or going to war where there are clear winners and losers.