We all do it. All day every day. Like it or not, negotiation is the human condition. Whether we are buying a new car, merging two Fortune 500 companies, or arranging dinner out, we do a dance as choreographed as Prairie Chickens in mating season. The steps are immutable, but the grace of their execution is in our own hands.

Yet, for the most part, we are bad at it. We negotiate unconsciously, not clear about our own goals, not understanding the motivations and desires of the other parties, and failing to alter our style to respond to the reactions we are receiving.

The Enneagram provides an excellent template for handling negotiations – whether the settlement of a class-action lawsuit or an argument with your teenager. The Enneagram likewise provides a model for approaching negotiation from a win/win posture, insuring that the mutual needs and interests of the parties are accommodated to the greatest possible extent. Imagine: everybody getting more of what they really want.

To be an effective negotiator, you must first understand that negotiations proceed in six well-established stages, whether the parties are conscious or this fact or not. Each stage can then be evaluated in Enneagram terms. Your Enneagram style will tend to make you better at some stages than others. In this presentation, using two entertaining and interactive scenarios, you will learn:

– The Six Stages of Negotiation

– How your own Enneagram style is likely to affect each stage

– How to negotiate effectively with other Enneagram styles at each stage

– Negotiation techniques to handle people and situations you find difficult

– Negotiating tips and strategies from two experienced lawyers

You will leave this workshop with handouts, experiences and knowledge to be a more effective and confident negotiator.

Gail Barber, J.D., is Chief Counsel and Director of Human Resources for AmSource, a professional employer organization. She has more than 25 years experience as Corporate Counsel to a Fortune 500 corporation, where she tried cases before judges and arbitrators, negotiated contracts, and advised senior management. Her more than 25 years in business includes negotiation in a wide variety of contexts: business transactions, labor negotiations, and settlement of litigation.

Cathy S. Wright, J.D., is an experienced trial attorney and a principal of the Clarus Group, a management consulting firm. She has over 20 years of trial experience ranging from antitrust to class actions. She is a certified mediator and has taught Alternative Dispute Resolution, including negotiation techniques, in numerous settings, including as an Adjunct Professor of Law.