Negotiating Tips from a Parent's Perspective

Probably the hardest morning for me is Monday.

It's the day that my wife drives carpool and I am responsible to get our little one out the door.

As you can imagine, it's not always so simple.

He's got his own agenda, isn't the quickest to get up in the morning, certainly doesn't love to get dressed.

Giving him breakfast is a challenge.

Helping them decide on what he wants for lunch is a challenge. In general, it's a challenge.

Actually, a lot of the key things that we do when we want to negotiate with our kids, we also need to be thinking about what we want to negotiate with adults too.

Here are 3 strategies that work in any negotiation:

1)      Avoid emotional struggle. Try to stay emotionally neutral.

The more that we can keep emotion out of it, the better.

2)      Start with an agreement.

Get the other person to agree to something and then do something that they're willing to do.

If you get them moving in that way, then you could add to it and you could layer it.

3)      Let them win.

It doesn't mean you have to let them win fully, but let them feel from time to time that you are willing to give in.

Which strategy works best for you?