Negotiation Skills - Perth

Negotiation Skills - Perth

You know that feeling when you're sitting across from someone in a meeting, and you can sense they're about to ask for something that'll make your life more complicated? Maybe it's your boss wanting you to take on another project when you're already swamped, or a colleague trying to dump their urgent deadline on your desk. We've all been there - that moment where you want to say no but don't know how to do it without coming across as difficult or unhelpful.

Here's the thing about negotiation skills - they're not just for big contract discussions or salary reviews. Every single day at work, you're negotiating something. Whether it's agreeing on deadlines, dividing up responsibilities, or figuring out who's covering the weekend shift, you're constantly in mini-negotiations. The problem is, most of us learned to negotiate the hard way - through trial and error, awkward confrontations, and saying yes when we really meant no.

I've watched people tie themselves in knots trying to avoid conflict, only to end up resentful and overloaded. Then there are others who go in guns blazing, treating every conversation like a battle to be won. Neither approach works particularly well, and both leave people feeling frustrated.

What actually works is understanding that negotiation isn't about winning or losing - it's about finding solutions that work for everyone involved. It's about being clear on what you need, understanding what the other person needs, and figuring out how to make it happen. Sometimes that means compromising, sometimes it means being creative, and sometimes it means holding firm on things that really matter to you.

The practical side of this training focuses on real conversations you'll have next week. We'll work through scenarios like pushing back on unrealistic deadlines without seeming uncooperative, asking for resources you need without sounding demanding, and handling those moments when someone's trying to pressure you into agreeing to something you're not comfortable with.

What You'll Learn

You'll discover how to prepare for important conversations so you feel confident going in, rather than hoping for the best and crossing your fingers. We'll cover how to ask questions that actually get you useful information, instead of getting vague answers that don't help anyone. You'll learn practical techniques for staying calm when discussions get heated, and how to keep conversations focused on solutions rather than problems.

We'll also tackle the tricky stuff - like how to say no professionally, how to handle people who use guilt or pressure tactics, and what to do when you realize you've agreed to something you probably shouldn't have.

The Bottom Line

After this training, you'll approach workplace conversations with a lot more confidence. Instead of dreading those difficult discussions, you'll have a toolkit of practical strategies that actually work. You'll know how to stand up for yourself professionally, find solutions that work for everyone, and leave meetings feeling good about what you've agreed to. Most importantly, you'll stop feeling like negotiations are something that happen to you - instead, you'll be actively shaping outcomes that work for you and your team.