Negotiating For Dummies

by Michael C. Donaldson

How would you like to close that million-dollar deal or convince your boss that you deserve a two-week paid vacation? What about persuading your spouse to do the dishes or take out the trash without a fight? Maybe you'd like your children to do their homework without a hassle? Then you need to brush up on your negotiation skills. Whether you know it or not, every day you encounter situations where you need to communicate clearly and effectively in business and in life -- better known as negotiating! "Negotiating For DummiesTM" is filled with tips and techniques for refining your listening, selling, and negotiating skills to help you get what you want. Inside, you'll discover how to: Hone your negotiation skills through practice and preparation Press the "pause button" to keep your emotions in check Gain power by setting your goals and defining your limits up front Use games, videos, and other fun activities to improve your negotiating skills Control your speech, body language, and gestures to gain the most favorable results Understand the differences in communication styles between men and women Effectively negotiate on the telephone -- without losing your cool Improve your listening skills so you can close the deal at the right time Identify the most common negotiating mistakes and see how to avoid them

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Communication, Ebooks, Reference

384 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 1996

About the author

Michael Donaldson’s Los Angeles-based entertainment law practice focuses on all aspects of independent film and theater. He has been successful in negotiating contracts for actors, producers and directors.

His book entitled Clearance and Copyright: Everything the Independent Filmmaker Needs to Know is used as a textbook in over 40 colleges and universities. Michael Donaldson is completing his latest book and DVD titled Wish Want Walk – A Failsafe Guide to Fearless Negotiating.

Michael Donaldson is a frequent arbitrator with the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), organizer of the American Film Market. He is also an expert witness in litigation involving copyright and general entertainment cases.

Reviews

[platkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on my dad's shelf and decided to give it a try. I don't typically enjoy books that call their readers "dummies," but I'm willing to overlook that for the sake of learning something useful. The author does a good job of pulling you in at the beginning, and he invites you to skip around to sections that are relevant to what you're trying to accomplish, which I like.

I pulled a bunch of good hints from this book. Since most of my previous jobs involved a metric ass-ton of research and asking the right questions, I was happy to find some ways to "do my homework" more effectively and make sure I was prepared when talking to my interviewees.

Even if you don't have to enter a formal negotiation, this book is great for dealing with the day-to-day "surprises" that befall all of us and have the potential to screw up our lives. Much of it is common sense (keep a cool head, don't raise your voice), but it really helps to have a written reminder.

The author is also really good about using examples, many of which come from classic movies and some of which come from his own experiences. I also appreciated that he provided kind of a script for what to say when things get tough. Of course you're not going to use them word-for-word, but these little dialogues act a great guide to having the right thing to say. Perfect for people like me who feel prone to saying the wrong thing.

Overall, this is a fantastic guide to communicating with just about anyone, and I'm thinking about picking up a copy to keep for myself (once I'm permanently living somewhere, that is!).

[Katipza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un punto que recalcan en todo el libro, es la importancia de conocerse a sí mismo; Esto determina e influye en una negociación de manera negativa o positiva.

Podemos conocer la información necesaria para llevar a cabo una. La práctica constante será una beneficio para mejorar las técnicas descritas y tratadas de la mejor manera, en nuestra vida cotidiana.

«Un manual exclusivo de negociación»

[Nick Argiriou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το 2ο βιβλίο μου στο θέμα ήταν αναπάντεχη έκπληξη, μια και δεν το περίμενα τόσο πλήρες, συστηματικό και εξονυχιστικό. Αν διαβάσετε μόνο ένα βιβλίο, διαβάστε αυτό.
Η περιγραφή των σταδίων είναι εξαιρετική από 2 συγγραφείς που ξέρουν καλά για τι πράγμα μιλάνε.
Μου άρεσε επίσης και η ελαφρώς αποκλίνουσα προσέγγιση ότι δεν απαιτείται εκ προοιμίου μια προσέγγιση ότι και οι 2 πλευρές πρέπει να έχουν ωφέλεια, τουλάχιστον από την "μεριά μας".
Εξαιρετικές συμβουλές στην κατανόηση, την επικοινωνία και την σαφήνεια που είναι δομκοί λίθοι μιας πετυχημένης διαπραγμάτευσης, που θα έχει και συνέχεια μέχρι την πλήρη εκτέλεση των συμφωνηθέντων.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Negotiating for dummies is one of the most perfect books I’ve read recently. It offers so much different tips and techniques that can help us become more successful and effective negotiators. This book shows that we negotiate every day and even when we don’t realize it.
It changed my view on whole negotiating thing: now I see negotiation as a key to our desires and dreams come true. I understand that a lot of our life aspects depend on daily negotiations.
Honestly, I thought this book would be too hard and boring to read and impossible to enjoy it but fortunately, I have been mistaken. It’s written in very easy for understanding way and doesn’t make you think a lot in the process of reading. You read it and you instantly get it. That is what I mean by this.
When you finish this book, you’ll be able to set goals and limits, listen and ask the right questions, interpret body language and deal with the most difficult people. Negotiating for dummies helps us enter any negotiation with confidence and come out feeling like a winner no matter how it ended.
It provides advice on real life situations and also depicts psychological processes happening in the background. The interesting fact is that this book explains how to negotiate effectively in everyday situations – from buying a car to getting a job and more.
By the way, I don’t typically enjoy books that call their readers ‘dummies’ but this is exception. What impressed me is that author invites us to skip around to sections that are relevant to what we’re trying to accomplish. Most information in this book is common sense but it really helps to have a written reminder. The author is also really good at using examples, many of which come from classic movies and some of which come from his own experience.
Overall, this is an amazing guide to communicating anywhere with anyone.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the books in the Dummies series are disappointing, but "Negotiating For Dummies" is better than I expected!
This book is a good read for anyone who sells products in a store.
It’s very specific on how to prepare and practice the steps of selling and negotiating with others.

I read through the book and found the preparation stage to be the most important part of the negotiation process.

Doing your research on the marketplace and the people you are negotiating with well in advance will lead to a successful negotiation.

Favrorite Part：Part I: Preparing to Negotiate
Chapter 1: Negotiating for Life
Chapter 2: Knowing What You Want and Preparing to Get It
Chapter 3: Mapping the Opposition
Chapter 4: Knowing the Marketplace
Chapter 5: Setting Goals
Chapter 6: Setting and Enforcing Limits

[Paul Pryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 2nd edition. There is a grammer flaw in page 241 “Are sure this is it”. Maybe more. The text also tips a nod to Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey so it’s probably produced prior to their disgraces. THAT SAID it’s a good book, the author structures his knowledge and experience brilliantly and yes I did put the book down smarting about errors I’d made in my own negotiations. I’ve recommended this read to my professional colleagues - and my own life!!

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Negotiating For Dummies which is an excellent book which I bought from kindle. The author is an agent who represents actors including Elizabeth Montgomery. This is one of the best books I have read on this subject and it includes sections on things like dealing with your children and also an awkward boss among other things. When you think of it we negotiate as part of everyday life and often a lot more frequently than we realise. One important point is you should remain true to yourself and set limits across which you adamantly refuse to go. It's also important to research your client and try and find out what he wants and try to accommadate him but at the same time get what you want. This is called win - win negotiating. Something I read in another book is a good negotiation shouldn't necessarily be unpleasant for either party and you should both be willing to do business again. It's also important you set out your case honestly and explain why you won't do certain things. I really enjoyed reading this book and with the author having a background in acting it was nice to see he used lots of examples of negotiating in films. Apparently the FBI uses the films, Dog Day Afternoon & The Taking Of Pelham One, Two, Three as part of their training for recruits in negotiating. The former is based on a true story and features Al Pacino as a bank robber who takes hostages and a negotiator has to try and negotiate their release. The latter film is about a hostage situation that wasn't handled very well.

[Ginan Aulia Rahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku menarik dan praktis. Oh, saya suka buku ini, lengkap dan detail. Buku ini hendak menjawab pertanyaan, Bagaimana sih caranya supaya orang mengatakan “yes!” pada semua ide dan kemauan kita?

Hidup penuh dengan negosiasi. Negosiasi bukan sekedar urusan bisnis. Untuk meminjam mobil ke papah perlu keahlian negosiasi. Untuk mengajak jalan perempuan yang kita sukai perlu negosiasi, hingga hal sepele pun kita perlu negosiasi. Buku ini jadi terkesan penting sekali, bukan?

Langkah pertama tentu saja, kita mesti tahu apa yang kita mau dan kita tidak mau. Jelas. Bagaimana bisa bernegosiasi kalau kita tak mengengetahui yang kita mau dan menguasai ide kita?

Langkah kedua, mengenal dengan baik orang yang kita ajak bernegosiasi. Ini sangat ampuh. Untuk bernegosiasi kita perlu memiliki kemampuan mendengar yang baik. Mendengar lebih baik berarti mencoba mengenal lebih baik. Ketika seseorang merasa kita terima dengan baik, maka ia akan membuka diri dengan lebar dan mengiyakan pendapat kita dan apa yang kita mau.

Langkah ketiga, berikan visi dan kata yang jernih dan jelas. Ketika teman bernegosiasi kita sudah membuka diri maka sampaikan dengan jernih apa yang kita inginkan.

Masih banyak tips yang bisa kamu dapatkan dari buku ini. Baca saja deh sendiri dan kuasai cara bernegosiasi

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

" if one person is suffering in silence the relationship is sure to end." "Your personal integrity is at the core of every negotiation." ..."the clearer the orders, the better the trops followed." It is a great communication tool. Negotiating takes place daily, it isn't limited to business or consumer activities.

[Andrea Garfield]

Gift from the Donaldson's, need to read eventually.

[Gustave C. R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't too useful...