Negotiation often appears to be an innate talent that many display naturally. The truth, however, is that negotiation is a skill that can be honed with training and tests. Like any other skills, some practitioners are naturals, while others need practice to reach their full potential.
We've written previously about games to help with sales negotiation, but not everyone belongs to a sales team! Even if you don't work in sales, you still deserve to be able to advocate for yourself at the negotiation table. Let's look at some of the games and exercises we can try to help us become expert negotiators.
Why do we like games?
Would you rather sit down with an exercise book and work through example after scenario to learn a new skill? Or would you rather gather with colleagues, relax, and have a little fun with a game, learning at the same time? Most of us would rather choose the fun route.
Games are a great way to explore different scenarios in a fun way. We can try out techniques and strategies in a safe environment where nothing can go wrong. When you have just learned a new negotiation style, the last place you want to be trying it out will be the middle of an important deal!
With so many games appealing to so many different people, there is no end to the things you could try. One study found that 67% of students found gamified learning more engaging than a traditional learning format, and that 90% of employees found themselves to be more productive at work when gamification was at play. Gamification is a great way to learn, and choosing to try out negotiation exercises in a fun and relaxed setting allows us to pick up confidence we can then put to use at the bargaining table.
Choosing what to play with the Bartle Score
Determining which games appeal most to colleagues can be a little tricky to work out. Luckily, there is a tool that can help us do so: the Bartle Score! This principle was originally developed by Richard Bartle based on his research on online multiplayer games, but the psychology and analysis at the heart of the research have also shown the player types to be present in behaviour in single-player games. These archetypes are:
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Socialisers — Making the largest group, Socialisers want to meet and cooperate with other players to meet their goals.
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Achievers — Achievers want recognition, they want to receive badges and points to show that they are hitting milestones and making improvements in the context of the game.
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Explorers — Explorers want to immerse themselves in the world of the game and push it to the limits. They want to see and try everything it has to offer.
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Killers — Though it may seem like a bit of a harsh name, Killers want to win. They also want a definitive victory; the last thing they want is to win by default or by a few arbitrary points.
It is important to note that most people have traits in line with all four of these types, but one will be more dominant than the other. So Killers may also enjoy exploring, or an Achiever may want to fill up their achievement board while working cooperatively with others.
You should also recognise some of these behaviours in yourself and your colleagues already. Think about what draws you to a game in the first place; is it a desire to win something, anything, a chance to explore something new, or just the opportunity to hang out and have fun with other people?
While the Bartle Score isn't a necessity when it comes to planning negotiation exercises and games, we thought we would include it because it can help you decide which games might work best for you and your colleagues. If you try to engage someone with something they have no interest in playing, you may not see the results you want to see.
Why should you practice negotiating through games?
Professional negotiation skills training sets you up to be a more confident and assertive negotiator. However, it is incredibly important that we find the right medium to teach negotiation skills if we really want them to take root in someone's knowledge and set of skills.
Negotiation exercises and games can also prove to be useful in the following situations:
Icebreaking
Icebreakers are a fun way to get a room warmed up and primed for a task. If you have just put together a new team, icebreakers can help them quickly get to know each other and find some common ground. Icebreakers are also a great way to give you some insights into how someone else negotiates. This can prove to be invaluable if you have been paired without ever having worked together before. The faster you can become in tune with one another's preferences, the sooner you can move towards creating a strategy that suits both of you.
Icebreakers don't have to be too long or in-depth to be effective; you might get all the information you need from a quick 30-minute session!
Team-building
Team-building activities are dreaded by many, but they have a role to play. If you feel like your team is unaligned or not meshing well together, team-building activities can be one solution to try to get everyone on the same page.
Some negotiation skills are best discovered and improved alongside those you trust. There will always be someone with more experience to draw from, or maybe even just a new outlook that can cause you to think about the problem in a fresh way. Yes, some team-building can feel unnecessary and boring, but there are plenty of ways to shake things up.
Testing scenarios
As mentioned above, sometimes we don't want the first time we try out a new technique or strategy to be when we are at that big important deal. Running through scenarios and trying out different techniques can help us establish whether or not something will work long before we have to put it to use.
Not every strategy is going to work out, nor will you be able to take everything on in an instant. Sometimes, we need a little practice to ease ourselves in. Testing out scenarios in a trusted and safe setting can really help us to avoid issues further down the line.
7 games you can play to build negotiation skills
A game always makes a dreaded task more fun! Since everyone learns a little differently, you might want to try out a few of the games we have listed to ensure you have found the right one for you. Here are seven of our favourite examples, but there are so many more that you could use to build up your skills!
1. Role-playing
One of the easiest and quickest negotiation games you can set up is role-play. Role-playing exercises are good because they are simply so flexible. No matter what your speciality or goals as a negotiator might be, you can create a scenario that works best for you.
You could haggle over goods, you may want to walk through asking for a change to your contract, or you may just want to practice a part of the negotiation process that you feel is not your strong point. Scenarios and role-playing are what you make of them. Explore your options, and don't be afraid to have fun and be a little goofy with it!
2. Mirroring
Mirroring is an important negotiation tactic often used to help build rapport with the other party. When developing negotiation skills, mirroring can be a great technique to pick up early so you can begin to put it to use in your next deal.
Mirroring can start with something as simple as subtly copying another person's body language, as well as their other nonverbal cues. You arrange yourself so you are sitting the same way as them (such as putting your hands in your lap, crossing your ankles, smiling when they smile) and they should hopefully begin to see you as trustworthy. When doing this as a training game, the person being mirrored can be encouraged to gradually do more and more outlandish things, with the person mirroring them following along while maintaining the conversation.
3. Just Say No
"No" is a very powerful word in negotiations. Getting around it can be difficult, so practising with this game can help to build resilience and strengthen creative thinking so you always know how to get around it.
Pick one person to be the "No-man" and the other to offer them suggestions. The game is quite simple; the suggester has just to keep offering propositions to the No-man, who in return needs to keep rejecting them. It is up to the suggester to then come up with a strategy to get around all the no's, while the No-man needs to keep their composure in the face of whatever is thrown at them.
4. Give and Take
Give and Take is an interesting game that really puts persuasion skills to the test. Players are all given equal resources and a goal to complete. The game can only be won when one player controls all of the resources, potentially meaning that other players can't fulfil their goals.
It takes a lot of careful persuasion and negotiation to bring everyone onto the same page. Players may have to convince others that their goal is the more worthy one, or they may have to make promises to get what they want. Perhaps they may even have to temporarily give up their own resources to see a gain later in the game!
5. The Break-Up
A break-up can be viewed as the ultimate negotiation and dispute resolution, especially if you want it to be amicable. In this game, the players each represent one party separating from the other. You can apply a certain scenario to it, like the end of a long-term contract or the dissolution of a company, to help give it some more weight and structure.
These scenarios can require a bit more tact than you would typically expect for a standard negotiation. We often focus negotiation exercises on forging new relationships, but there is also a lot to be learned from looking to the end of them too.
6. The Prisoner's Dilemma
The Prisoner's Dilemma is a classic game often examined in game theory. Two players must decide whether they wish to cooperate to find a mutually beneficial agreement, or secretly betray their partner for an individual award instead.
This game is useful in negotiation training as it helps its players establish trust, measure risk, and attempt to build a long-term partnership. It is great for exploring those negotiation scenarios where you really don't know what is going on in the other party's head.
7. Ultimatums
Being faced with an ultimatum at the negotiating table can be tricky, but it does happen. Negotiators need to be prepared to navigate around these all-or-nothing situations. Encountering one without practice could lead to panic, so a game is the perfect place to build up confidence and teach negotiators the best way to manage it.
You can add another layer to the ultimatum game by saying that the players can only receive their agreed resources and deals if a conclusion can be fairly reached. If someone on the opposing team says no, both teams will lose.
Finesse your negotiation skills with Scotwork
Negotiation exercises are a great way to ease you into new skills, and they allow you to play around and find a rhythm that works best for you. Negotiation is a skill, not a talent, and this means that it must refined and worked on if you are to become as proficient as possible. Working with others or following specific training can help us to identify shortcomings we may encounter.
The world of negotiation training can seem daunting when you don't know where to start. Though there are plenty of games you could try beyond the ones we have listed above, it can be difficult to know how effective they are beyond wins or losses in your closed sessions. After all, a real negotiation can feel very different from a game with your colleagues.
Trust the professionals to help you finesse your negotiation skills. Scotwork's instructors have over 45 years of expertise to help deliver new knowledge and understanding to you and your team. Get in touch to find out how we can help you take your negotiations to the next level now.
