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Description

Negotiating in Thirty Minutes: Setting Your Objectives and Trade-Offs

Thirty minutes to approach a negotiation with quantified objectives and prepared trade-offs

  • 0.07 days — 0.5 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • All levels
  • Up to 6 participants

Negotiations often begin without real preparation. You know what you want to obtain but not the limit below which walking away is the better option. Concessions are granted one after another without anything in return, and the agreement reached leaves a bitter aftertaste that weighs on the relationship afterwards.

Thirty minutes online to lay the foundations of a well-controlled professional negotiation. You learn to define your objective, your room for manoeuvre and your walk-away point before the meeting. You identify the trade-offs you can request in exchange for each concession. The short format is designed for immediate application to a live negotiation.

Learning objectives

  • Define your objective, your room for manoeuvre and your walk-away point before the meeting
  • Identify the other party's underlying interests beyond their stated positions
  • Request something in return for every concession granted
  • Formalise the agreement reached and its conditions of application

What makes this programme different

Short format applied to a negotiation you are due to conduct shortly
A preparation sheet completed during the session
Practice in asking for a trade-off, the step most often forgotten

Programme

1Preparing Before Entering the Discussion

Knowing Your Limits

  • Defining the target objective and the minimum acceptable outcome
  • Identifying the point beyond which it is better not to conclude
  • Exploring the other party's real interests
  • Fallback options if the discussion fails

2Conducting the Exchange

Concessions and Trade-Offs

  • Opening the discussion and setting out the framework
  • Listening to arguments and questioning underlying needs
  • Systematically requesting something in return for each concession
  • Responding to pressure and deadline-based leverage

3Closing and Upholding the Agreement

What Protects the Relationship

  • Restating the points agreed and those left open
  • Putting each party's commitments in writing
  • Signals indicating that the discussion should be stopped
  • Following up on the application of the agreement

Who is it for

Buyers, sales professionals, project managers and managers who negotiate deadlines, budgets or terms of collaboration.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

12 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.