Negotiating and Influencing Skills

Date:  Thursday, 21^st of August 2025

Time:  9:30am – 4:00pm

Location: Almond Valley Heritage Centre, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 7AR

Learn how to advocate for your objectives in a way that reduces resistance and drives better outcomes and solutions.

Negotiation underpins every aspect of human life. Our ability to collaborate around shared interest or to compete when necessary, to secure goals, gain buy-in or to drive change – all of this is contingent on our ability to negotiate with other people, both in our personal and professional lives.

Many of us often shy away from asking for more and better. More resources, more budget, better working arrangements, higher fees, or better prices. Some of us are afraid to ask, some of us do ask, but either apologise for asking or stop short of asking for what we really want or what we are truly worth. For whatever reason, by not proactively negotiating we will be missing out on opportunities, resources and finding solutions that work for both parties.

This workshop covers negotiation skills from a variety of perspectives. Firstly, we discuss the barriers to negotiating and what holds us back in the first place. It then shares the Diagnose, Think & Solve Negotiation Skills model and explores the three stages to effective negotiation and achieving more.

The workshop will explore the how: how to listen, how to manage emotions, how to use questions to reduce conflict and build understanding and how to advocate for your objectives in a way that reduces resistance and drives better outcomes and solutions.

Learning Outcomes:

• Greater confidence and self-belief when negotiating
• Understand how to use the DTS Negotiation skills model to better achieve what you’re looking for
• Plan and prepare for the delivery of a successful negotiation
• Understand the need for developing Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)
• Better awareness of how to overcome the barriers to negotiation
• Greater understanding regarding the importance of listening skills and questioning techniques in negotiation skills
• Awareness that negotiation skills are a life skill and can be applied in everyday scenarios
• Recognise common negotiation tactics and how to deal with them.

Lunch will be provided during the session.

This is free to attend for West Lothian businesses.

Please fill in the form below to book your space! Please note a maximum of 2 places can be booked per business.