Mind Games: What Psychology Experiments Reveal About Negotiation Behaviours

 At Scotwork, we teach negotiation as a methodical and structured process. But make no mistake, while negotiation has a framework, it is a framework executed by people. And people are gloriously, messily, predictably irrational.

According to the famous negotiator William Ury, the biggest obstacle in negotiation, even more so than the other party, is our own internal reactions and tendencies. In other words, our most formidable negotiating opponent is sometimes ourselves!

This is where psychology comes in. Misunderstanding the psychological forces acting at the negotiating table can have a dire consequence. It is necessary to appreciate the psychology to avoid the traps that cause even experienced negotiators to lose deals, concede too much, or unnecessarily damage relationships.

This handbook explores five famous psychological experiments and Scotwork's view on how their findings play out in real-world negotiation scenarios. If you're serious about becoming a more effective negotiator, this is essential reading.