Effective Communication Tools: Negotiation & Challenging Conversations

This is a required workshop in the Conflict Management and Mediation Certificate, but also a great stand alone topic for anyone looking for some new skills.

Facilitator:
Mark Weber

Date:
TBD - Fall 2025

Time:
8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Location:
Waterloo

Cost: 
$695.00 + HST   

Registration  See registration link for available discounted rates

We are excited to deliver this workshop in person once again.  While there are many conveniences of online delivery, these two days are designed to provide the optimal participant learning experience through dynamic delivery and engaging content in person.


 

DAY ONE CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS 

For most of us, the workplace and our lives in general include many social interactions (and possible interactions) that have the potential to create significant anxiety and/or blow up and undermine desired outcomes (e.g., addressing performance problems, dealing with the failure of others to deliver on their promises, explaining why you can’t follow through on a promise of your own). Meanwhile, human beings are generally highly conflict avoidant. The deep-seated desire to avoid anxiety-producing situations often leads to deep managerial and governance dysfunctions: avoiding conversations that should not be avoided and botching conversations that you cannot afford to botch. This interactive session is designed to offer practical tools, approaches and frameworks for effectively handling those difficult conversations and reducing the anxiety associated with them in the process. It will draw on research related to the psychology of negotiations, perspective-taking, and the self.

DAY TWO NEGOTIATION 

Up to one hour of reading may be required prior to attending this content.

We negotiate every day – with employees, coworkers, business partners, suppliers, landlords, merchants, service providers, and even our friends and romantic partners. Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more independent parties. It is a craft that must hold cooperation and competition in creative tension. It is difficult to do well. Even the most experienced (and confident) negotiators often fall prey to common biases, errors in judgment, and bad strategies.

The approach to this topic will be unapologetically “experiential” (and therefore fun!). We will practice, analyze, reflect, and practice again! The best way to learn and improve negotiation skills is to negotiate in a setting where insight is offered, feedback is plentiful and honest, personal reflection is encouraged, and careful analysis is required and provided.

Topics will include:

• Strategies for distributive and integrative negotiations – and recognizing which is which.
• Decision-making biases in negotiations and how to avoid defeating yourself
• Effective negotiation planning