Noa Sheer Catches Up With Co-Author Ray Fells
Noa and Ray sit down for a conversation on Negotiation theory and practice. Ray is a Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia Business School, and in 2019 invited Noa to co-author the 4th edition of his monumental book Effective Negotiation: From Research to Results.
Ray's 3-phase negotiation structure was later developed by Noa into the Sheer Negotiations Model. This model now acts as a template for negotiation planning and execution for Sheer Negotiation's clients.
Ray, who also marked Noa's MPhil research thesis on Negotiation Theory, has been a mentor and guide to Noa in taking a nuanced and thoughtful approach to negotiations, avoiding the urge to oversimplify.
Download the Sheer Negotiations Model here
With Ray's vast experience in University teaching and organisational consulting, and a background in collective bargaining, workplace relations, mediation and dispute resolution, Ray has a wide perspective on negotiation methods.
Noa Sheer and Ray Fells discuss many key aspects of negotiation theory covering several important topics:
Critical Incidents Can Be Pivotal - Ray defines critical incidents as pivotal moments in a negotiation that may not be immediately obvious, but offer crucial insights (1:17). These can be behavioural cues, subtle information sharing, and throwaway lines can reveal underlying needs or intentions.
Why Deadlocks are "Cool" - Ray introduces his principle that "deadlocks are cool" (21:11), explaining that deadlocks provide an opportunity to pause, analyse, and consider all available options rather than immediately making concessions (23:12).
Understanding Conflict - Touching on why people are uncomfortable with conflict (25:01); Noa differentiates between three types of conflict: relationship conflict, process conflict, and task conflict (26:30).
The Principles of Good Negotiation - Ray shares some of his principles, including the idea that all negotiations are two-sided, emphasising the need to actively think about the other party's perspective (39:01). He also stresses that the first task in negotiation is not to reach an agreement, but to find out what you don't know and understand each other (33:57).
Ensuring Other-Directed Behaviour - Both Noa and Ray underscore the importance of being other-directed; focusing on the other party's needs, pressures, and priorities (43:08). This approach, they argue, leads to a more empathetic understanding and helps in identifying what might appeal to the other side, which ultimately makes one more persuasive in a negotiation (43:50).
Share this content: