Negotiation Tips & Articles

Cornered Hunt reaching for the Sky

By Clive Rich|January 22nd, 2011|Blog|Comments Off on Cornered Hunt reaching for the Sky

What is the Government’s need in the negotiation with Newscorp over its acquisition of the remaining shares in BSkyB? Firstly, the Government is anxious it will lose respect in the eyes of the electorate if it is seen to be kow-towing to Mr. Murdoch. In negotiating terms this is a “respect need”.

Equally, it needs to be seen to be acting sympathetically to Mr. Murdoch so it can continue to have his support. In negotiation terms this is a “belonging need”.

The delay in the publication of Ofcom’s report may be attributable to the Government struggling to reconcile these 2 conflicting needs.

This may result in some fudge which makes it look as though the Government is acting strongly and independently whilst not really harming , Newscorp’s interests. A referral to the Competition Commission would fall into this category.

Alternatively, it may be that the Government simply has to choose between these two conflicting needs.

In the hierarchy of negotiating needs, a “belonging need” will always require fulfilling before a “respect need”, so if it has to choose, if the Government has to choose, it’s more likely that satisfying Mr. Murdoch will come first.

Feature in The Sun – How to Haggle Harder

By Clive Rich|February 7th, 2011|Blog|Comments Off on Feature in The Sun – How to Haggle Harder

Click on iPhone to access article

Press Release 4th March 2011

By Admin|March 3rd, 2011|Blog|Comments Off on Press Release 4th March 2011

Secrets Of Negotiation To Be Shared With UK Start-Ups
Simon Cowell’s Lawyer Clive Rich To Share Professional Deal-Making Insights
London, 4th March, 2011 – Clive Rich, the leading UK media lawyer and driving force behind successful deals for Simon Cowell, Sony, MySpace and The Royal Opera House has today announced the launch of Secrets Of Negotiation, a new series of seminars aimed at sharing professional negotiating skills with UK start-ups, SMEs and entrepreneurs.

The new events, which start on the evening of March 16th in London, will provide attendees with the ability to recognise the key stages of a deal and the skills to move through them successfully. It will also deliver tips on how to take control of negotiations and share insider knowledge on how to influence the opposition in order to gain the winning edge and close deals successfully.

Clive Rich added; “Sound negotiating skills are critical for all sorts of situations relevant to SMEs, start-up companies and entrepreneurs, including funding agreements, licensing deals, distribution deals and exit plans. But for whatever reason, deal-making is something that is still generally done by instinct rather than learned skills or training. I have launched the Secrets Of Negotiation seminars in order to share the skills I have gained over years of negotiating with some of the world’s toughest opposition in media, entertainment and business.”

Event attendees will also be introduced to the ‘Close My Deal’ iPhone negotiating app which provides interactive tools and content to help start-ups, SMEs and entrepreneurs achieve the best possible deals in the course of real-life situations.

The ‘Secrets Of Negotiation” events are presented in partnership with entrepreneur and leading human behaviour coach James Stokes. The first session will be held on the evening of Wednesday, […]

Libya – Is Negotiation the Answer?

By Clive Rich|April 13th, 2011|Blog|Comments Off on Libya – Is Negotiation the Answer?

Negotiation is the only answer ultimately, unless the Coalition not only wants to remove Gaddafi but also capture him and put him on trial. What the coalition forces need to decide is “what constitutes a win” in this negotiation. If it’s just getting Gaddafi to step down then a negotiated solution might achieve that. But, if you negotiate then you normally have to give something back in return. So if a negotiated deal is struck then it may be that part of the price is that Gaddafi and his henchmen escape justice and are given safe passage.

If the “win” is not only getting rid of Gaddafi but bringing him to account for his murderous regime, then even greater military action will be required. However, even if we send in an army as well as an air force there is no guarantee of a successful outcome, as our experience in Iraq shows. So, without negotiation the “win” will be much harder to achieve.

Response to original article (guardian.co.uk)

US Budget Crisis – an example of “Positional” Negotiations?

By Clive Rich|April 13th, 2011|Blog|Comments Off on US Budget Crisis – an example of “Positional” Negotiations?

The real negotiation here may well have been about things other than the US budget deficit.

Politicians are often involved in “positional” negotiations where the intended target to be influenced is someone other the person across the table. There is another dynamic as well. All negotiators have a personal emotional agenda which has nothing to do with the organisational interests they represent. These personal needs might be to do with e.g. a need for respect or esteem or reassurance.

In the case of the budget deficit the positional requirements of the negotiators and the individual emotional needs of the negotiators involved will all have pointed to an imperative to get the deal done. Nobody involved would have benefited from a shutdown.

Response to Erik Sherman’s Article (bnet.com)