We all know people who seem to be naturally good at negotiating. Maybe they’re convincing their boss to give them a raise, negotiating a great deal on their renovations or on a new car.

Should the rest of us give up and leave negotiating to the lucky few who seem to have naturally gotten the innate talent?

No! As with everything, negotiation is a skill that can be learned. Yes, some people might have a natural aptitude for it, but anyone can become a better negotiator with the right training.

Negotiation isn’t a far-out abstract concept; it’s a practical skill that everyone can get better at.

Here are three myths about negotiating, which might make you feel a bit better about the skills you already have, and help you to identify areas that you can improve!

It’s all about the money…

When we think about negotiating, we tend to associate it with getting the best price on something like a car, or a salesperson we have all met who pushes for the hard sell. Negotiation isn’t always about money; we all negotiate every day in many ways. Think about any time you’re trying to get someone to do something: it’s a negotiation.  For example, managers are negotiating constantly they are trying to get the most for their employees and customers and trying to get the most out of their employees and customers. This can involve money, but as we all know it isn’t all about money. The end goal isn’t about money; it’s about getting the best out of their team.

It’s all about the hard sell…

In most situations, this is far from the truth. As a negotiator, you need to be an excellent listener, and have great people skills – these are the traits you also need to be successful in other areas of life. Think about some of the situations you encounter in your daily work life – resolving conflicts within your team, and making sure you get the right people, with the right skills, to do the right tasks. That’s not about hard selling; it’s about getting to know people, listening to them, and persuading them as to the right course of action for the team and the organization.

You can’t learn how to negotiate, you’re born with it or you aren’t…

Hopefully, from reading so far, you’ve already realized that this is not true. Anyone can learn how to be better at negotiating. Preparing, understanding what you want to achieve, and listening to other points of view are all essential to negotiation, and can help you get the result that is best for you, and for the people you work and live with.

Luckily, there are lots of training courses to help you become better at negotiating, and that will dispel the myth that good negotiators are born rather than made. You already have the foundation in place; why not see how much you can improve?

To learn conflict resolution skills that you can use at work and in your personal life, please visit our Alternative Dispute Resolution Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.

To improve your negotiation skills and get the results you want while negotiating, please visit our Become a Powerful Negotiator Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.

To gain skills to handle difficult conversations and difficult people with confidence, please visit our Dealing With Difficult People Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.

To make better decisions, we need to understand how our mind takes shortcuts and how those shortcuts trick us into making bad decisions. If you understand how your mind works and when it fails you, you will make better decisions. To improve your decision-making skills, please visit our Effective Decision Making Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.