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Description

Negotiation: Preparing Your Margins, Defending Your Positions and Closing a Workable Agreement

Securing an agreement both parties will genuinely honour rather than a win that costs you later

  • 3 days — 21 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Negotiation is not confined to procurement and sales. Securing a deadline, sharing a resource, defending a project scope: opportunities to negotiate take up a significant part of the working day. Without preparation, the exchange collapses into a tug-of-war over a single variable, and the resulting agreement unravels at the first difficulty in execution.

Three days to prepare a negotiation methodically, identify the interests behind stated positions, widen the range of trade-offs, respond to pressure tactics and formalise an agreement that can actually be applied. Role-plays are built around cases brought by participants.

Learning objectives

  • Prepare a negotiation by defining your target, walk-away point and fallback solution
  • Distinguish stated positions from the real interests of each party
  • Build a case supported by tradable concessions
  • Conduct the phases of a negotiation from opening to close
  • Respond to pressure tactics without damaging the relationship
  • Formalise the agreement and organise its follow-up

What makes this programme different

A preparation sheet completed for a real negotiation you are about to conduct
Two-party and three-party simulations with observers and immediate feedback
Dedicated work on internal negotiation where no hierarchical leverage applies

Programme

1Prepare Before You Speak

Negotiations are won beforehand

  • Target outcome, walk-away point and fallback solution
  • Gathering information on the other party
  • Identifying the negotiable variables
  • Forming hypotheses about the counterparty's interests
  • Preparation sheet

2Positions and Interests

Looking for what lies behind the request

  • The difference between a position and an interest
  • Exploratory questioning
  • Listening for unspoken constraints
  • Identifying room for manoeuvre
  • Broadening the scope of the discussion

3Argue and Trade

No concession without a counterpart

  • Building an argument the other side can accept
  • Ranking the concessions available to you
  • Formulating a counterpart
  • Handling objections
  • Managing silences and pauses

4Dealing with Pressure

Holding firm without hardening

  • Common pressure tactics and how to counter them
  • Handling aggression and ultimatums
  • Negotiating from a position of dependence
  • Using an adjournment
  • Preserving the relationship after a disagreement

5Close and Ensure Implementation

An agreement that outlives the meeting

  • Signals that the agreement is ready to close
  • Locking in the points agreed
  • Drafting the record of decisions
  • Organising implementation follow-up
  • Post-negotiation review

Who is it for

Project managers, managers, buyers, sales professionals and anyone required to reach agreements with internal or external counterparties.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 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.