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Aim
This is a fairly straightforward exercise which aims to give an individual some information about their negotiation style. It employs a simple framework with three contrasting styles. Participants are required to respond to 30 statements, indicating to what extent they agree or disagree with them by allocating points according to the scale at the beginning of the questionnaire. The style with the highest score is the one with which they are most comfortable.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- identify their own negotiating style
- reflect on other negotiating styles and think about where they could adopt some of these characteristics
Facilitator Guidance
Introduce the exercise by pointing out there are no right or wrong answers; just score the statements as you see them. There are no set time limits for completing the questionnaire.
Suggested Resources
- copies of the questionnaire and scoring sheet
- 'Negotiating Styles' diagram - download below.
- pens
- flip chart for recording main points of discussion
What to Do (20 minutes)
- Introduce the exercise and explain the learning objectives.
- Distribute a copy of the task sheet to each participant.
- Encourage participants to move through the statements pretty quickly, using instinct to complete it rather than weighing up each statement very carefully.
Review Activity and Apply Learning (15 minutes)
- Once participants have completed the questionnaire, use the ‘Negotiating Styles’ diagram to explain the three styles in the questionnaire.
- The exercise can be concluded by putting people into three groups, according to their style, and having them discuss the implications of their particular style. This can lead into a group discussion of the situations when each style would be most appropriate.
Identifying Your Negotiation Style – Task Sheet
Use this questionnaire to help you identify your negotiation style.
Task
Read through the following statements and consider them in relation to yourself. Score each statement according to the following scale: 1 = completely disagree 2 = disagree 3 = agree 4 = completely agree Write the score you chose in the column on the right-hand side of the statement.
Statement
Score
1. Achieving the task is always my highest priority.
2. It is generally better to clarify things as you go along.
3. I am always happy if I achieve most of what I set out to achieve.
4. It is really important to achieve all of your objectives.
5. Leaving difficult issues until implementation is not a good idea.
6. Not getting a deal is the worst possible outcome.
7. Completing the task is more important than being nice to people.
8. Sometimes it takes something unusual to clinch a deal.
9. I like to think other people will respond positively to me.
10. In any negotiation I always try to win.
11. If the other party has a good idea, I try to build on it.
12. Keeping people happy is often more important than getting the deal exactly right.
13. I set objectives carefully to maximize personal satisfaction.
14. I try to commence the negotiation by identifying areas of common ground.
15. Sticking out for everything you want often means there is no deal.
16. A negotiation is never over until the deal is done.
17. ‘Win/Win’ is always the best outcome from a negotiation.
18. If you want a deal badly enough you have to make compromises.
19. I would rather walk away than agree to a poor deal.
20. I prefer to confront issues rather than let them so.
21. Never concede anything without getting something in return.
22. I try to stop my opponent achieving too much.
23. I encourage the other party to be honest with me.
24. You are more likely to win if the other side is weak.
25. I play my cards close to my chest.
26. You never get anywhere without making concessions.
27. Keeping things to yourself makes it more difficult to achieve an effective outcome.
28. Saying how you feel displays weakness.
29. The essence of successful negotiation is trading.
30. I generally try to bring things out into the open.
When you have finished the questionnaire, transfer the scores onto the scoring sheet. Add up the totals for each of the three columns.
Interpretation
The type with the highest score is the negotiating style with which you are most comfortable. A brief description of each type is given at the bottom of the scoring sheet.
Scoring Sheet
Style A
Style B
Style C
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Total =
Total =
Total =
Style A: The Fighter
Is highly task-oriented and goes flat out to achieve their objectives.
Style B: The Collaborator
Gets everything into the open and is prepared to confront issues. Can be innovative to clinch a deal.
Style C: The Compromiser
Makes significant use of compromise to settle deals.
