Synopsis : Negotiation Skills in A Project Environment

Negotiation skill is learned throughout our lives. As a child we learn ways to get our parent’s attention. We “negotiate” our way to get what we want verbally or through our body language. We grow up learning and often the hard way realising that the work environment is somehow quite different, wider in scope, poses more challenges, subtle and unforgiving.  Communication skill is a foundational skill for managing people. It includes negotiation skills, one aspect that many find great difficulty applying and challenging while others makes it seems so easy. Negotiation skills however can be learned from strategic thinking, forethought and honed through constant practice to become an art with much improved outcome.

Leaders know good negotiation skills at the work place plays a significant role in making the work environment conducive, friendly and promote cooperation that results in synergy that are often overlooked. Such synergies translate into profitable outcomes through lower cost of procurement and higher margins from marketing and sales.

Negotiation is more effective when we are persuasive, well prepared, long before we set out to engage the third party. It requires forethought, good background work and proper understanding of human behaviour so that our approach can be strategic and decisive at appropriate moments. Its importance can be seen by its inclusion in LEADERSHIP skills, one of three aspects of the PMI talent triangle. It is also recognised as 1 of 5 key soft skills of project management maturity, DPM3 published by igi-global.com, (Mar 2018).

Success in negotiation entail clear negotiation objectives, identifying the challenges to expect and the negotiation stance to adopt in the given context and situation. Appropriate preparation and observing the rules of negotiation help us stay one step ahead. Persuasion is a big part of negotiation skills. “The power of persuasion is maybe the ultimate source of advantage in life and work, a critical separation factor between the successful and the rest”. Borg (2010).

This FAST Track preparation brings attendees to speed & gain personal confidence by:
• Identifying what the trainees need to know
• Identify what they don’t know so they can work on them  
• Apply and relate knowledge learnt to their work place
• Expose participants to the soft-skills needed to succeed in negotiation
• Be familiar with and use of the ROGAN synergistic exchange index and principles of reciprocity to enhance negotiation success


About The Course Leader

Robert Gan PMP®, IDPM(Camb), AICA, NCC S&D
• Immediate Past President, Project Management Institute – Malaysia Chapter (Max 5 terms)
• Adjunct Professor, UMP
• Expert witness in Project Management, Advisor to PGB Pte Ltd, Singapore
• Researcher in Project Management maturity, The University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus  
• Managing Partner, ROGAN Strategic Advisory PLT, IDPM Coach/PMP®/CAPM® exam preparation

Robert is a seasoned professional Project Delivery Partner with 20 years of Programme and Project Management experience that has included people, processes and technology. He formal training in the management of Projects and Accountancy has helped in Project Financials, Stakeholders’ management, Quality/Risk/Procurement Management, Systems Analysis & Design and Application Systems deployment.  Robert has helped corporate business teams in addressing business issues, procedure realignment, provision of alternatives, proposing work-around solutions and business process improvements.

When serving as a Principal Consultant with PwC and another big four regional consulting organisations, Robert had practiced best-in-class project management methodologies and rolled out more than 20 projects that were multi-country and multi-cultural in scope across the Asia-Pacific region in countries like Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia in industries from Financial services/banking, General construction, IT suppliers, ERP implementers and Software developers, M&E and Engineer-to-order (ETO) manufacturers. The in-depth experience managing stake holders’ expectations, subcontractors and vendors has helped Robert to complete projects on time, budget & quality.

Robert has conducted extensive Project Management Training & coaching for business & technology users during the project life cycle. He has delivered Project Management and PMO Competency based Training, Coaching & workshops as well as the professional series in Negotiation skills, Conflict Management, Project estimation & budgeting control, Project Leadership & soft skills. He continues to be invited to speak at many public symposiums, seminars and in-house events of MNCs and local conglomerates in the APAC region. He is now undertaking research with the University of Nottingham in Project Management maturity part of which is expected to be published with IGI-global in March 2018.


Who Could Benefit From The Course

Project Managers/Leader/Team Members, Coordinator/Administrator/Supervisor/Sponsor/Director; Professional /Graduate Engineers; Architects / Quantity Surveyor; IT Professional / Scientists; Technical/Functional / Business/ Financial/ Marketing/Event Managers; Senior Manager/General Manager/CEO; Developer/ Contractor/ Consultant/Project Client; Government and Non-government officers; Anyone responsible for or involved in projects and management of change