Do you hate to negotiate? Many of us do, because we associate negotiation with conflict. But negotiating doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have to combat and overcome. Rather, it can be about neutralizing conflict and resolving problems. This series explores the topic with a fresh, and freeing, perspective.

There's a saying that goes, "When you look at a field of dandelions, you can either see a hundred weeds, or a thousand wishes." Although this statement is about being positive, it's also about framing. What you focus on determines your outcome. This can be especially true in negotiating. So take a stroll with us, as we explore the structure, pros and cons, and use of this very helpful technique.

What's your style? Are you an avoider? Or an accommodator? Do you ever compromise? Each negotiation style has benefits, risks, and a best time to use it. Here, we go through each, so you can have a full "bag of tricks" come negotiation time.

Former NBA player Jalen Rose says, "You never get what you deserve; only what you have the leverage to negotiate." This may not always be the case, but it often is. So, do you know what your leverage is, in any given situation? Do you know how to identify it? Well, we're here to help! This course goes through the four types of leverage and tips on developing them to your best advantage.

As the Boy Scouts program teaches, you should "Be prepared." Then there is, "Proper preparation prevents poor performance." And so on. There is a plethora of "preparedness" quotes, and they all can be applied to negotiation. So believe us when we tell you that this course is WTW (Worth the Watch). It explains how to take a good look at yourself, then the other party, then the meeting topic and your goals, all the while preparing you to get prepared.

We're guessing you'd like your negotiations to go smoothly. If we're right, you'll want to watch this very helpful course! It goes through all the last-minute steps you should take to make sure that you're "ready to roll" on negotiation day.

Now that we've gone over the first step of preparing, we're ready for the remaining steps in the process. These are: definition of ground rules, clarification/justification, bargaining/problem solving, and closure/implementation.

As the saying goes, "Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." The whole point of negotiating is to get to the agreement. So, this course surveys the scenarios where you might get stuck, and then provides tools for breakthrough.

Great, you've reached an agreement! Now, before you go on your celebratory vacation, you need to evaluate your performance. This will allow you to bring the lessons from this time to the table next time. We'll go through the questions you should ask yourself in several different areas, and then close with some final tips.

Way back in 1976, ABBA sang, "Knowing Me, Knowing You." The song was about a breakup, but the title phrase notes a good way to approach negotiations. Knowing the personalities of the involved parties, and how they would potentially mesh (or not), is extremely helpful. So, in this lesson, we'll use the DISC personality model, and go through each type. You'll learn its common characteristics and behaviors, and what types harmonize with it best.

We continue our negotiation training, with the pop group, ABBA, asking, "What's the name of the game?" in their 1977 hit. While they were singing (another) love song, we are looking at the strategy game. What are the different strategies? How should you handle them? What strategies should you use, and when? Let's click that play button and find out!