Negotiation and Influencing Skills Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Procurement Managers, Sales and Account Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-CS-123

Before you join: Participants should have experience of workplace discussions involving priorities, resources, suppliers, clients, colleagues or senior stakeholders.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Negotiations often fail before the meeting begins: objectives are unclear, authority limits are not agreed, assumptions replace evidence, and concessions are made without a return. Professionals also need to influence decisions when they lack formal authority, face competing stakeholder interests or must protect long-term relationships. This course addresses commercial, operational and internal negotiations where outcomes depend on preparation, disciplined communication and sound judgement under pressure.

Participants learn to prepare negotiations using BATNA, ZOPA, reservation values, stakeholder analysis and concession planning. They practise identifying interests behind stated positions, asking diagnostic questions, framing proposals, making conditional trades and responding to difficult tactics. The course also develops ethical influencing skills through stakeholder mapping, influence currencies, evidence-based persuasion and coalition building. Attention is given to multi-party discussions, procurement conversations, internal approvals, virtual meetings and cross-cultural communication.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with case analysis, group work, negotiation simulations, peer feedback and individual planning. Cases reflect supplier negotiations, budget discussions, contract variations, project priorities and senior stakeholder decisions. Participants leave with a completed negotiation preparation pack, a concession plan, an influence map and a 30-day application plan for priority workplace conversations.

The course suits managers, specialists and client-facing professionals who already conduct workplace discussions and need greater control over complex negotiations. It is particularly relevant where participants must balance financial, operational, legal, reputational and relationship considerations.

What you will be able to do

  • Prepare negotiations using BATNA, ZOPA, reservation values and stakeholder analysis
  • Distinguish positions from interests to identify mutually beneficial trade opportunities
  • Use calibrated questions, active listening and framing to uncover decision criteria
  • Construct package proposals and conditional concessions using give-get discipline
  • Apply ethical influence methods to gain support without formal authority
  • Respond to anchors, pressure tactics, conflict and deadlock with structured techniques
  • Manage multi-party and virtual negotiations through roles, governance and communication protocols
  • Produce a role-specific negotiation and influencing application plan

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Prepare high-stakes discussions with clearer objectives, limits and trade options
  • Recognise pressure tactics before making unnecessary concessions
  • Gain confidence influencing senior stakeholders without relying on job title
  • Handle disagreement with more control over language, pace and emotion
  • Build a repeatable approach for supplier, client and internal negotiations

For your organisation

  • Improve commercial terms through planned trades rather than reactive discounting
  • Reduce avoidable escalation caused by unclear authority and poor stakeholder alignment
  • Increase consistency in procurement, sales, project and internal decision discussions
  • Protect key relationships while resolving disputes and competing priorities
  • Create documented negotiation plans that support governance and accountability

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can select an appropriate negotiation approach based on interests, alternatives and deal structure.

  • Negotiation objectives separated from positions, interests, constraints and relationships
  • Principled Negotiation: people, interests, options and objective criteria
  • Distributive and integrative bargaining identified from deal structure
  • BATNA strength assessed before committing resources or signalling urgency
  • ZOPA boundaries estimated using reservation values and market evidence
  • Power sources mapped: alternatives, information, legitimacy, time and relationships

Participants can prepare a structured negotiation plan with priorities, limits and tradeable variables.

  • Negotiation preparation canvas defining mandate, stakeholders, issues and priorities
  • SMART objectives converted into aspiration, target and walk-away figures
  • Value-creation trades identified through differences in risk, timing and scope
  • Package proposals designed around linked variables rather than single-price demands
  • A concession plan sequenced with conditional give-get language and limits
  • Stakeholder interests tested through assumptions, questions and available evidence

Participants can use purposeful communication to build understanding and guide negotiation discussions.

  • Opening statements establish purpose, agenda, authority and constructive tone
  • Active listening uses paraphrasing, labelling, summarising and calibrated questions
  • Calibrated questions uncover priorities without disclosing unnecessary information
  • Framing choices around gains, losses, standards and shared outcomes
  • Nonverbal signals managed through pace, silence, posture and turn-taking
  • Message discipline maintained under challenge using concise bridging statements

Participants can build stakeholder support through ethical persuasion and targeted influence strategies.

  • Cialdini's six principles assessed for ethical workplace influence
  • Stakeholder maps distinguish decision-makers, blockers, allies and informal influencers
  • Influence currencies matched to stakeholder motives and organisational constraints
  • Reciprocity and commitment used without coercion or false urgency
  • Evidence-based persuasion combines data, stories, authority and social proof
  • Coalition support built before formal meetings and approval gates

Participants can uncover underlying interests and decision criteria while protecting their own priorities.

  • Diagnostic questioning separates stated demands from underlying business drivers
  • Question funnels move from broad exploration to precise testing
  • Information exchange paced to protect priorities and reveal tradeable interests
  • Listening for emotion, ambiguity and hidden decision criteria
  • Summary checks confirm understanding before moving toward proposal design
  • Agenda control maintained through transitions, parking and agreed next steps

Participants can present proposals, manage anchors and make concessions with clear conditions.

  • First-offer decisions based on anchors, information quality and relationship context
  • Anchoring effects managed through ranges, counter-anchors and objective criteria
  • Multiple equivalent simultaneous offers reveal preferences without premature concessions
  • Conditional proposals link each movement to a reciprocal commitment
  • Trade matrices compare value, cost, risk and implementation consequences
  • Closing language records agreed terms, owners, dates and contingencies

Participants can respond constructively to pressure, disagreement and stalled negotiations.

  • Difficult behaviours diagnosed using the Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode framework
  • Emotional triggers managed through pauses, naming concerns and reframing
  • Defensive claims tested with evidence, questions and neutral summaries
  • Deadlocks broken by narrowing issues, changing variables or involving principals
  • Threats and ultimatums answered without escalation or unplanned concessions
  • Face-saving options preserve relationships while protecting essential outcomes

Participants can coordinate internal teams and manage negotiations involving multiple stakeholders.

  • Roles assigned for lead negotiator, observer, analyst and decision authority
  • Internal alignment tests mandate, red lines, information sharing and escalation
  • Multi-party interests mapped across sponsors, users, procurement and legal teams
  • Coalition dynamics managed through sequencing, caucuses and bilateral conversations
  • Authority gaps addressed through contingent agreements and escalation protocols
  • Meeting governance sets agenda, records, confidentiality and decision rights

Participants can plan and conduct remote negotiations with attention to communication differences and process control.

  • Virtual negotiation protocols cover platform choice, documents, cameras and breaks
  • Written proposals structured for clarity, version control and audit trails
  • Cross-cultural differences explored using direct questions rather than stereotypes
  • High-context and low-context communication preferences accommodated through explicit agreements
  • Time-zone, language and hierarchy issues planned before remote discussions
  • Email wording protects tone, intent and negotiating flexibility

Participants can evaluate negotiation performance and apply course methods to priority workplace discussions.

  • Negotiation review distinguishes outcome quality, process quality and relationship impact
  • Post-negotiation debriefs capture assumptions, signals, concessions and missed trades
  • Personal influence diagnosis identifies recurring strengths, gaps and trigger points
  • Thirty-day application plan schedules priority conversations and preparation milestones
  • Manager briefing translates course methods into role-specific performance commitments
  • Peer accountability arrangements support rehearsal, feedback and progress review

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Negotiation preparation canvas
  2. BATNA and ZOPA analysis worksheet
  3. Concession planning matrix
  4. Stakeholder influence map
  5. Difficult tactics response checklist
  6. Thirty-day negotiation application plan

Who should attend

  • Procurement Managers — negotiate supplier terms, service levels and contract changes
  • Sales and Account Managers — protect margin while retaining strategic client relationships
  • Project Managers — secure resources, resolve priorities and manage scope discussions
  • Operations Managers — agree delivery commitments across functions and external partners
  • HR Business Partners — influence leaders and handle sensitive employee relations discussions
  • Policy and Programme Managers — build agreement among public, donor and community stakeholders

Skills and tools covered

Negotiation preparationStakeholder influencingConcession planningDifficult conversationsProposal framingConflict management

Tools and standards

BATNA, ZOPA, Principled Negotiation, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce methods, followed by realistic case work, group exercises and negotiation simulations. Participants prepare positions, conduct discussions, observe tactics and receive structured feedback against defined criteria. Cases include supplier terms, project scope, budget allocation, client commitments and internal approvals. Individual application planning connects the methods to current workplace conversations. Classroom and live online delivery both use facilitated discussion, shared materials and instructor-led debriefs.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience of workplace discussions involving priorities, resources, suppliers, clients, colleagues or senior stakeholders. They should be comfortable contributing to structured group discussions and reflecting on their own communication style. Familiarity with basic business terms such as budget, contract, service level and stakeholder is helpful. No prior negotiation qualification, sales background, psychology training or legal knowledge is required. The course is not designed for participants who have never participated in professional meetings or workplace decision-making.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have experience participating in workplace meetings, discussions or decisions involving competing priorities. No formal negotiation training, sales experience or legal knowledge is required.

Bring examples of upcoming discussions, such as a supplier renewal, project scope decision, budget request or stakeholder approval. Do not bring confidential documents, commercially sensitive pricing or personal employee information.

It is suited to managers, procurement staff, sales and account professionals, project leaders, HR practitioners and specialists who need agreement from others. It is useful for people who negotiate externally or influence colleagues and senior stakeholders internally.

General communication courses focus on clarity, confidence and message delivery. This course focuses on preparing negotiation positions, identifying interests, making trades, managing concessions and influencing decisions under competing demands.

Participants use the preparation tools for live supplier, client, project, budget or internal approval discussions. The final application plan identifies priority conversations, preparation actions and follow-up measures for the next 30 days.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided among instructor input, case analysis, simulations, feedback, discussion and application planning across ten modules.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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