Identify who your stakeholders are and what they care about. Stakeholders are anyone who can affect or be affected by your project, such as customers, team members, suppliers, competitors, or sponsors. Understand their perspectives, motivations, expectations, and concerns. Tools like stakeholder maps, matrices, or analysis can help you categorize and prioritize them according to their influence, interest, and impact.
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To create a win-win situation in stakeholder negotiations: Identify interests. Generate options. Evaluate and select. Communicate effectively. Build commitment. Consider joint fact-finding. Create more value through trades. Use contingent agreements.
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Having ADHD means I think differently - the most important stakeholders may not be the most obvious ones. For example, I know that neurodivergent people can really struggle with communication, so I created easy templates for them to copy & paste to ask their employers for support in accessing ADHD coaching or training.
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To create a win-win in stakeholder negotiations: Know who's who with a stakeholder map. Find what everyone values and align goals. Be transparent about limits and risks. The aim is to make the project's success everyone's success
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Creating a win-win situation in stakeholder negotiation involves finding solutions that satisfy the needs and interests of all parties involved.Actively listen to stakeholders to understand their concerns, priorities, and objectives. Empathy plays a crucial role here, as you must appreciate their perspectives to identify shared goals.Ensure open, honest, and clear communication. Transparency builds trust and reduces misunderstandings, making it easier to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.By following these strategies, you can create a win-win situation that benefits all stakeholders, ensuring alignment and fostering a stronger, more collaborative partnership.
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In my experience different stakeholders often have diverse and sometimes conflicting interests. It is important to identify these conflicts early in the engagement and work towards a resolution from the start of the project, otherwise it may cause un necessary escalation and delays during the execution.
Establishing rapport and trust means building a respectful relationship with stakeholders based on communication, empathy, and honesty. Communicate clearly and frequently with them using appropriate channels and language. Show understanding for their views, and acknowledge their contributions and feedback. Also be transparent about your project's objectives, scope, risks, and progress, and avoid surprises or hidden agendas.
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All of your interactions with your stakeholders should be rooted in kindness, as consideration and empathy are the foundations of all healthy stakeholder relationships. Reminding yourself that they are people with wants, needs, ambitions, emotions, and feelings (just like you) allows you to keep integrity at the forefront of all of your words and actions. There may be times when negative updates are to be provided, or a more aggressive stance needs to be taken in situations where pushback or negotiation is necessary, but when you intentionally manifest kindness in your communication, questions, listening, responding, and delivery, you will find that higher quality solutions are reached more efficiently, thus strengthening the relationships.
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Listening is the most important and underrated skill in stakeholder negotiations. Instead of feeling as though you need to ‘present’ or ‘propose’ your work, simply ask open-ended questions that start with ‘how’, ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘when’ to have collaborative conversations from the outset. I’m constantly using my ADHD coaching skills in stakeholder negotiations to help everybody establish the real challenges they’re facing. They’ll usually tell me how I can help!
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Communication is the key to win any discussion. Build a rapport and trust with stakeholders. Communicate clearly and frequently from the beginning of project which makes them feel respected and valued. Acknowledge their contributions and feedback this will help you in getting to the middle ground in negotiations.
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Start by establishing rapport and trust through open communication and genuine listening. Show empathy for their concerns and needs while sharing your own transparently. Building a positive relationship helps both parties feel valued and understood, paving the way for collaborative problem-solving where mutual benefits can be identified and agreed upon.
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All communication should come from a place of understanding and positive intention. - Be open and honest: This shows your integrity and helps others trust you. - Communicate regularly: While the frequency may vary depending on the stakeholder, be present during key moments of the project and keep them informed. - Acknowledge their time, efforts, and challenges: Everyone appreciates when their efforts and sacrifices are recognized. - Engage according to their comfort level: Some people enjoy sharing more aspects of their lives, while others prefer less contact. Understand their preferences and adjust your engagement accordingly. - Ask for feedback: These moments can lead to improvements and better outcomes for everyone involved.
It is important to be open-minded in finding solutions that can benefit both parties, and avoid rigid or unrealistic positions. Listen actively to your stakeholders' needs and wants, and ask questions to clarify them. Then brainstorm ideas that can address their concerns and add value to your project. Evaluate the pros and cons of each option, and consider the trade-offs and implications.
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Encouraging innovative, out-of-the-box ideas is the best way to explore all options. For example, I brainstormed an entirely new programme with Disney, ‘ADHD Champions’, after understanding what they needed to effectively support neurodivergent employees. Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all solution, stay open-minded to new ideas to old challenges.
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Win-win negotiations boil down to effective problem identification, analytical and problem solving skills tied in with strong soft skills. The key is to be solution oriented and creative, and driving alignment towards the best possible solution.
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Some win-win situations are very apparent. The key is understanding your stakeholders and their needs. If you can adopt their perspective, that is a superpower for negotiation.
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Explore options and alternatives by brainstorming a variety of solutions together. Encourage creativity and flexibility, ensuring that all parties feel their needs and concerns are considered. This collaborative approach helps identify mutually beneficial outcomes and increases the likelihood of finding a compromise that satisfies everyone involved.
Reaching a mutually acceptable agreement means meeting both parties' interests and minimizing the potential for conflict or dissatisfaction. Use effective negotiation techniques like preparing your BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement), framing your proposals positively, emphasizing common ground, making concessions strategically, and handling objections diplomatically. Also document and confirm the agreement in writing, and specify the roles, deliverables, timelines, and criteria for success.
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The best advice I’ve heard for negotiating is you can always go lower, but can’t go higher. Valuing your work encourages others to do the same! Having ADHD & Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria can lead us to avoid following up on potential projects, but systemising this can make it feel less vulnerable, such as by using a virtual assistant. Remember: it’s not personal, and it’s okay to be slightly annoying.I had to message Microsoft 5 times AFTER they’d first confirmed ADHD training with me - it felt very embarrassing, but the person had just been busy! Getting a date booked in and contract signed as soon as possible enables you to move forward, instead of leaving things hanging.
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Remember, engaging with stakeholders isn't solely about finalizing agreements; it's about nurturing enduring partnerships. While you might "win" a negotiation, jeopardizing stakeholder relationships can hinder future collaboration, potentially outweighing short-term gains. Success isn't about triumphing over others. Effective negotiation isn't an isolated incident but rather an ongoing endeavor. I prioritize relationship-building, investing time in fostering connections.
Execute the agreed actions and deliverables, and track the progress of your project. It's essential to follow through on your commitments and ensure your stakeholders do the same. Report and update your stakeholders regularly on the status of your project, and solicit their feedback when possible. Also identify and resolve any issues that may arise, and celebrate any achievements.
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As the founder of ADHD Works, I always go above and beyond in my work - and it shows. Being open to flexibility and change as new opportunities arise enables you to simply get on with the job and provide the best service possible. For example, when I was creating the deliverable of an ADHD Champions workbook for 200 Mental Health First Aiders to use, I realised it may be helpful to add one for employees to use independently. It was incredibly well received by everyone!
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Implementation should include mechanisms for stakeholders to easily report issues or changes in their needs, ensuring that the project remains responsive and adaptive throughout its lifecycle.
Assess the results of your project and your stakeholders' satisfaction and engagement. Measure and analyze the data of your project's performance and compare them with the agreed criteria. Then survey or interview your stakeholders to collect their opinions of your project's value, and their relationship with you. Document the lessons you learned and share them with your stakeholders and other relevant parties.
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By arranging a debrief session for all project personnel, and stakeholders a "what worked and what did not" oversight will provide insights which can guide subsequent project teams as to how to approach a given division, department or individual. This is critical to achieving a continuous improvement loop.
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Seek feedback and input from your stakeholders to be able to continuously improve stakeholder satisfaction and engagement. Give stakeholders opportunity for collaboration and discussion by provide and create regular moments to inspect and adapt, not only the project results but also on the process/way of working. Actively listen to their feedback, so you can decide of you need to adjust your stakeholder management accordingly.
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Foster a stakeholder-centric culture within the organization where stakeholder engagement and satisfaction are key performance indicators. This cultural shift ensures that stakeholder management is not just a project-level concern but is embedded in the organization’s values and practices, leading to more successful and sustainable outcomes.
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If this is with an internal stakeholder, then the mindset shouldn't be about winning an argument. You work for the same company, you are both committed to delivering what's best. You are convinced that your project is what the company needs and the stakeholder might not see why. So try to understand their priorities in relation to the strategy and try to link your project to their priorities. Typically making this connection, picking them up from their own starting point, helps them to evaluate whether your project might actually also support their goals (which is likely since you are following the same overarching goals). And if they really have objective concerns, then listen and check if they maybe identified a blind spot in your plan.
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In stakeholder negotiations, fostering a win-win scenario involves active listening to understand each party's interests and concerns. I prioritize transparency and collaboration, seeking common ground to co-create solutions that benefit all involved. By emphasizing mutual gains and long-term relationships over short-term wins, trust is built, paving the way for future collaborations. It's about finding synergy between diverse perspectives and goals to achieve shared success.
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Create a win-win situation in stakeholder negotiations by actively listening to understand each party’s needs and concerns, then identifying common goals and mutually beneficial solutions. Focus on finding compromises that satisfy key interests of all stakeholders, clearly communicate the benefits of proposed solutions, and build trust through transparency and collaborative problem-solving. This approach ensures that all parties feel valued and that the negotiated outcomes support shared objectives.
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