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Coursera

Successful Negotiation: Master Your Negotiating Skills

via Coursera

Overview

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Created by Chris Croft, an internationally respected management trainer, author, and speaker who has helped more than 1,000,000 people develop their professional skills, this course will help you negotiate with greater clarity, confidence, and impact in a wide range of situations. By the end of this practical and comprehensive course you'll master the complete negotiation process: be able to prepare effectively, plan your strategy, understand the interests of both sides, and approach negotiations with confidence and professionalism. Negotiation is one of the most valuable business skills you can develop. Whether you are negotiating prices, contracts, deadlines, salaries, workloads, or business agreements, the ability to achieve better outcomes while maintaining strong relationships is essential. The course covers every stage of negotiation, including preparation, planning, opening discussions, negotiation tactics, managing concessions, overcoming deadlocks, handling difficult situations, and successfully closing agreements. You'll discover common mistakes to avoid, techniques for creating value, and strategies for achieving win-win outcomes whenever possible. Designed around practical examples and real-world applications, this course provides tools that can be used immediately in business and personal situations. Whether you're a manager, salesperson, business owner, procurement professional, or simply someone who wants better outcomes from everyday discussions, you'll gain the confidence and skills needed to negotiate successfully.

Syllabus

  • Deciding To Negotiate
    • Many negotiations are lost before they begin because people never ask. In this module, learners tackle the fears, assumptions, and habits that stop them from negotiating more often. By reframing negotiation as a normal, low-risk part of work and daily life, this section helps learners recognize when negotiation is the better option and how to approach it without damaging relationships or confidence.
  • Planning Your Negotiation
    • Strong negotiators do their best work before the conversation starts. This module shows learners how to prepare deliberately by setting clear limits, separating those limits from opening positions, identifying tradeables, and looking closely at the other side’s pressures and weaknesses. These planning habits make negotiation more strategic, less emotional, and far easier to manage under pressure.
  • Setting a Great Opening Offer
    • Opening offers can shape the entire negotiation, so this module helps learners enter that moment with a plan. You will explore how to encourage the other side to reveal information first, how to ask and listen effectively, and how to make an ambitious but credible opening offer. The module also shows how precise numbers and visible reactions can strengthen your position before the bargaining phase begins.
  • Tactics Used in Negotiations
    • Negotiations often include predictable pressure tactics, and recognizing them quickly can protect both value and confidence. In this module, learners examine several common tactics used during bargaining and closing in on terms. By learning how these moves work and how to respond calmly, learners can avoid being manipulated and keep the negotiation moving on more favorable terms.
  • Trading to Reach a Win Win Deal
    • This module focuses on the heart of bargaining: trading rather than simply giving things away. Learners explore what win-win negotiation really means, how to use conditional language to exchange value, and why small steps preserve leverage. Through practical examples and stories, the module shows how disciplined trading can improve outcomes while keeping both sides engaged in the deal.
  • Closing - Solidifying the Deal
    • The end of a negotiation is where unnecessary giveaways often happen, so this module helps learners close with discipline. You will examine the risks of the closing phase, learn how to resist common end-game tactics, and decide when to walk away, accept, or trade to bridge a final gap. The module also emphasizes practising in low-risk settings so these closing skills become more natural in real negotiations.
  • Bonus
    • This bonus module explores advanced negotiation techniques that help negotiators achieve favourable outcomes while maintaining strong professional relationships. Learners will examine win-win negotiation strategies, the role of opening offers and walk-away points, the use of hardball tactics, and effective approaches to negotiating discounts and pricing. The module provides practical insights for handling more challenging negotiation situations with confidence and professionalism.

Taught by

Chris Croft

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