Influence is designed, not demanded. The next time you step into a negotiation or high-stakes meeting, ask yourself, how can I set the frame before the content? This small shift will change the conversation in your favour. Find out more about setting the rules of the game so you can set the negotiation outcome.
Read MoreSenior leaders are not looking for people who pull them back into the day-to-day detail. Quite the opposite. They want people who can handle complex conversations independently, who can take accountability for results, and who can manage conflicts and relationships with maturity and foresight.
Read MoreCollaboration is not compromise, and it is not the absence of competition. It is a deliberate, structured process of uncovering and maximising value for all parties, often in ways that go far beyond the obvious “win-win” outcome. To understand this, it helps to look at where the concept first entered negotiation thinking.
Read MoreOne of the most empowering tools in a negotiator’s toolkit. Your BATNA is your best course of action if the current negotiation does not result in agreement. It is your fallback plan. Not a threat, not a bluff, but a real alternative path to achieving your interests.
Read MoreMany of the books in this list are on my bookshelf. All are vetted. The list blends core negotiation classics, valuable insights for women negotiators, and adjacent literature in economics, psychology, and rhetoric that broaden a negotiator’s perspective. This list is not for passive reading. Use it. Debate with it. Take notes in the margins. Try the ideas in your next negotiation.
Read MoreOne of the most interesting things I’ve observed over the past few years is a quiet behavioural divide emerging in leadership circles, not based on personality or style, but on how leaders approach negotiation. Read more about what leaders are doing in preparation for a negotiation here.
Read MoreThere’s a shift happening. Leaders across banking, finance, and energy are beginning to treat negotiation as a technical discipline; not a soft skill. They plan, they prepare, and they are securing stronger outcomes from their negotiations across the board. This quiet revolution is already underway.
Read MoreNoa Sheer is speaking at the Waikato Waahine Event through the Waikato Chamber of Commerce on 17 June 2025. An event focussed on empowering women. Breaking barriers and building futures. Noa will bring researched based, practical content on negotiation skills, tactics and perspectives.
Read More"The most important parts of a negotiation often happen before the first offer is even made." — Noa Sheer. The most strategic negotiators know that the real negotiation begins well before the formal conversation starts. Preparation isn’t just about facts and figures—it’s about narrative, agency, and positioning.
Read MoreCreating value is where negotiation turns from zero-sum to transformative. It requires a mindset of generosity, curiosity, and mastery of nuance. So before you settle for an equitable outcome, be sure you understand what’s “on the table” and how best to divide it up.
Read MoreFairness in a negotiation is relational - it’s not something you can assume in your first meeting. Demanding equal give-and-take in every situation is not the reality of a negotiation. Reciprocity might occur across months or even years. In the end, the concept of fairness is a perception and this is where we teach the principle of anchoring. Find out more in this article.
Read MoreThe Salary Conversation Everyone Dreads – and How to Master It. Why is negotiating your salary often more stressful than sealing a multi-million dollar deal? In this episode of Questioning Gurus Noa Sheer unpacks the salary negotiation scenario with the podcast team.
Read MoreAt its core, effective negotiation is a conversation aimed at reaching an agreement that benefits everyone involved. Recognising how to read the room, anticipate objections, and find common ground are key skills that can be developed over time.
Read MoreNegotiation is not a linear process. Unexpected objections, new stakeholders, and shifting priorities require real-time strategy adjustments. My research found that negotiators who plan with flexibility are able to adapt on their feet in a negotiation and outperform those who stick rigidly to their initial goals.
Read MoreThis article appeared in 'The Australian' on the Last Page of the Deal Magazine. In this piece, Noa Sheer tackled the age-old question of nature versus nurture: are we born negotiators? Or is it a learned skill? Read more here.
Read MoreAt Sheer Negotiations, we help professionals move beyond static bargaining techniques and embrace an adaptive negotiation approach. Our training is rooted in research that shows how flexibility in goal-setting leads to more successful deals and stronger long-term relationships.
Read MoreMany negotiators believe that planning means locking in their objectives, determining their BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement), and sticking to their script. While having clarity on objectives is valuable, rigid adherence to pre-set goals can lead to suboptimal outcomes. In this article, Noa Sheer shares her frameworks for planning for a negotiation.
Read MoreNoa Sheer was recently invited as a guest on The Powerhouse Diaries with Yaela Raber. Noa and Yaela's conversation talks to The Powerhouse Diaries’ audience of entrepreneurs and women in business about what actually drives powerful negotiations — and what’s been holding so many of us back.
Read MoreNoa Sheer interviews long-time peer, mentor and fellow negotiation expert Moty Crystal to unpack the dynamics, nuances and similarities between business and political negotiations. They emphasises the importance of understanding the specific context and complexities of each negotiation, and highlight how the same core set of negotiation skills might be adapted depending across both, depending on the scenario.
Read MoreEvery major conflict, every failed deal, every missed opportunity I’ve ever encountered had one thing in common: a lack of skilled negotiation. When master negotiators led the conversation, the outcome was different. Creative agreements were made, trust was built, and interests were met in ways no one initially thought possible. That realisation changed everything for me.
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