International & EU Negotiations

18 September: 

09.00  Introduction and welcome  .

• Personal introductions  
• Presenting the programme, training methodology and how we shall work interactively, online

  Interactive presentation  

• Contextualised definitions, concepts & skills  
• Understanding the potential of negotiation, its dynamic processes, and working components  
• Dynamic toolbox

  Bilateral negotiation simulation: Managing complexity & integrative packaging of multiple priorities1 (video recorded)  

• Preparation 

  Delegation coordination: internal negotiation, role distribution, establishing mini-max, fallbacks and options  

•  Information management: what is known, assumed, needs to be known (tactics and techniques)
  Interests versus positions versus priorities 
  Alternatives and cost of failure  
• Remote “face-to-face” conduct  

13.00 Lunch  

14.00 Debriefing 1: Discussion and analysis  

• Values: time, substance, actors, mandates, and many others  
• Reporting and “selling deals back home”  
  Interest-based stakeholder mapping  
• Negotiation as a learning exercise  
• Debriefing 2: Negotiation confidence-building measures  
  Quality communication versus understanding; winning arguments versus successful negotiation  
  Decision-making competence/power and managing mandates 

  Debriefing 3: Video analysis and personalised feedback  

• Comparing preparation assumptions to negotiation realities
• Creative outcomes and add-values
• Problem-solving negotiation techniques
  (1 Given the group size, 2-3 parallel negotiations will take place simultaneously) 
• “Chairing” a bilateral meeting  

16.30 Close of day  

 19 September:  

09.00  International Multiparty Negotiation  

Interactive presentation: Addressing multi-issue, multi-stakeholder negotiation challenges within EU institutional frameworks and ad hoc configurations, with strong international relevance  

Multiparty negotiation simulation: Managing multiples, internal preparation and delegation coordination (video recorded)

• Chairing and head of delegation considerations  (This is rotating chairperson & head of delegation simulation) 
• Fine-tuning and structuring informality & (remote) lobbying  
• Reducing complexity of multiples: substance, parties, roles and process management 
  Plenaries & informals 

13.00 Lunch  

14.00  Debriefing 1: Discussion and analysis

• Deciphering interests and reading meetings  
• Chairing skills: a “higher” form of negotiation  
• Balancing structured plenary sessions with structured informals  
• Linking process efficiency with outcome effectiveness  
• Constraints, leverage, alternatives, and power parametres revisited  

Debriefing 2: Video analysis and personalised feedback

• Illustrating all conceptual points by seeing is believing
• Diplomatic negotiation language and communication skills for multilateralists  
• Highlighting chairing techniques, head of delegation techniques
• Negotiation skills revisited: listen & watch, send & pick up signals, follow up leads, problem-solving and perhaps mediating  

Wrap-up and evaluation  

16.30 Close, evaluation, end of seminar