by Margaret Anderson | Jun 13, 2014 | Blog
I often compare the skills I teach—whether applied to negotiation, consensus building or persuasion—to means for building bridges, rather than burning them. We can also think of these communication skills as bridges over difficulties or bridges to desired results....
by Margaret Anderson | May 28, 2014 | Blog
Daydreams remind me of bats. Or perhaps I should say that society’s view of daydreaming reminds me of society’s reaction to bats. Bats creep people out. Few find them attractive, and in fact, they are pretty scary looking. People avoid them. People easily...
by Margaret Anderson | May 13, 2014 | Blog
James wants to sell his motorcycle. He lists it for $1200. Bill offers him $800. They agree to a price of $1000. Is that a win-win deal? The answer depends on how well they satisfied their underlying interests. In my most recent post, I wrote about the fact that...
by Margaret Anderson | Apr 29, 2014 | Blog
The negotiation classic Getting to Yes describes a system of interest-driven negotiation by way of contrast to more common “positional bargaining.” Unfortunately, positional bargaining is so common that many people believe it is the essence of negotiation itself. You...
by Margaret Anderson | Apr 11, 2014 | Blog
I recently watched my DVDs of the TV miniseries Bleak House, then reread the Dickens novel. One of the minor characters—Inspector Bucket—caught my attention. Bucket demonstrates his ability to catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. More particularly, Bucket...
by Margaret Anderson | Mar 20, 2014 | Blog
The March/April issue of Psychology Today features a fascinating article on millennials, including a chart contrasting the way baby boomers see millennial’s traits with the way millennials themselves see those same traits. For example, millennials seek frequent...
