At the end of the day, all negotiators want to achieve the same thing: a good deal. The question that we all face is just exactly how go about making this happen in our next negotiation. No matter what negotiation styles or negotiating techniques are being used in a negotiation, there is one skill that we all need in order to be able to make that good deal happen: tenacity.

What Is Tenacity In A Negotiation?

If we take a look in the dictionary in order to find out what tenacity is, they will tell us that its:

te•nac•i•ty noun
the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly; grip.

So what we’re really talking about here is your ability to hold on to something. In the case of a negotiation, that means that you want to hold on to the successful deal that you know that you can get.

The reason that you’re going to want to be tenacious in a negotiation is because you are in the process of trying to sell something to the other side of the table. You want to sell them on both yourself and your ideas. They may not initially accept either of these items. When that happens, it’s going to be your tenacity that will see you though.

Every negotiation has its own set of difficult circumstances. This can actually work to your benefit. When everyone else views a negotiation as containing insurmountable challenges, they won’t show up to participate in the negotiations. This can open the door for you. If you show up with determination and tenacity then you’ll be able to make your way through the difficult issues and will be able to make the deal successful.

How Can You Use Tenacity In A Negotiation?

Just deciding to be tenacious is a good first step. However, it’s not enough. The real trick to being tenacious is knowing when and how to use this skill. If you can master both of these aspects of tenacity, then you will have developed a skill that you can use in every negotiation.

Tenacity should be used in a negotiation when one or more of the parties involved starts to doubt that a deal can be reached. The reasons for this can be many – all of a sudden the open issues will just start to appear as though they are unsolvable. When this happens, many negotiators will just give up and call it quits. If you have tenacity, then you’ll be willing to make the investment that it’s going to require to move through these issues and reach a deal with the other side.

How to use tenacity is something that often is unclear to negotiators. What has to be done is that the negotiations have to be expanded. This includes expanding both the amount of time and the amount of effort that you are willing to invest into the negotiations. What you always need to keep in mind is that in order to make this deal happen, you always need to be selling both yourself and your ideas.

What Does All Of This Mean For You?

All negotiators want the same thing – a good deal to be the result of any principled negotiation. In order to make this happen, we need to have the ability to stick with a negotiation no matter how difficult it may appear. What we need is tenacity.

Tenacity is the ability to hold on to the deal that you want to achieve no matter what else is going on in the negotiations. We need to realize that in every negotiation there will be a set of circumstances that show up that can make reaching a deal look impossible. Using your tenacity you’ll be able to stay with it and keep working towards the deal that you know is possible.

In order to use tenacity in a negotiation you need to understand where it is best used and how to use it. The best place to use tenacity is when things look the darkest. Tenacity is best used when it looks like there is no way that both parties are going to be able to bridge the divide that exists between them. In order to use tenacity you need to be willing to expand the negotiations to include more time and effort.

Everyone should write Santa letters each year – after all, how do people expect to get their presents if they don’t? Santa won’t know where to stop his sleigh! And you never know, you might get letters from Santa back! So what other reason do you have to not write to Santa and get what you want?

While this is an ideal situation, unfortunately it only works for children. Sorry adults! You have to rely on my traditional methods of transportation to get your presents to each other. Have no fear though, with a bit of careful planning and some thought, your presents will arrive in one piece and on time before the big day arrives. There’s nothing worse than having to wait for presents to arrive after Christmas, so here’s some ways you can ensure their arrival.

The most conventional method for most people at this time of year is to use the postal system. While there’s been a lot of stigma surrounding the postal system for a while, there are ways and methods to do things that will ensure your presents arrive and that you know about it. For example, you can use things like Recorded Delivery or Special Delivery, which basically just means that the person receiving the package has to sign for it or show identification. This way you know your presents have been received.

Another method is to use special delivery companies, such as ParcelForce. They’re a very big name and are trusted with (usually) much bigger or more expensive purchases than your everyday postal system. There are other companies who deliver the same methods and transportation, but you would need to look for them yourself. Have a look around and see which company can offer you the best service. Some of them will even collect from your home to avoid you having to find the time to send them, which is the most common cause of presents arriving too late for the big day.

The other way, and perhaps the most favourite but least used due to time constrictions is delivering them yourself. Nothing says “Merry Christmas” better than your loved ones turning up on your doorstep with an armful of pretty presents. Also this way you know for absolutely definite that your presents have been delivered and have arrived safely and on time. You don’t get any more assurance than that! However, obviously this is a very busy time of year and this option isn’t always viable for many families unfortunately, but if you can find the time and the spare cash for travel, then don’t rule it out!

Presents arriving on time and in one piece is the biggest worry for most families, but if you put some care, attention and planning into delivering your gifts, then your Christmas should go without a hitch.

We have one person in our office that must have been born with the skills, talent, and ability to be a total extrovert and give a speech or presentation at the drop of a hat. However, according to a human resource survey reported in 2005, approximately 15% of employed persons are highly apprehensive about communicating orally in organizational settings. Practically everyone – about 85% of the population, in fact – experiences “stage fright” when they give a speech.

Another person in our office, we’ll have to call him “Joe,” was pretty near the bottom of that 85%. He was probably one of the 5% of us who have an excessive and debilitating fear of speaking in public.

Realizing this could affect his career from moving forward, he decided he needed to do something. Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage. And all the men and women merely players,” but if we’re not pretty good players, then we may face missed business opportunities, lost clients, being passed over for promotions. Any of these occurrences can cost us tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars over a career. So, our “Joe” went for help to acting professionals who teach transferring performance skills to the business arena, and it really made a difference.

I know of two places in Houston, Texas where they have acting classes to help the business person; “Joe” went to the Houston Academy of Dramatic Arts and Lasater Training Most cities of any size have acting schools which also offer lessons for business people who do presenting or any public speaking. Hopefully, you can find someone in your city if you need this type of training. Until then, the following tips should help improve your presentation skills:

Practice: Okay it’s just like learning to play the piano, practice, practice, practice, but it’s surprising how many people don’t practice in front of a mirror or in front of friends. Visualize: See yourself successfully presenting to a pleased audience, and visualize your audience as just people no different than you. That’s who they are. Know your material: This one should be obvious, but many people simply don’t prepare their material and then have stage fright because they feel unprepared. Go figure. Focus on one idea that’s usable: All your audience really wants is to walk away with something they can use. Relax: If you are at ease your audience will be at ease. Use resources: A good Flash or PowerPoint presentation can make your presentation more interesting and make your job easier.

What will, of course, do the most good is real training, at an acting school or somewhere else, that incorporates practice before class audiences and develops skills such as voice control and body movement. “Joe” is now able to present at work and at networking events with the poise of Tom Cruise.