Building a Negotiation Team

There are three types of organizations I’ve work with: 1️⃣ Those that consist of homogeneous groups. These teams share similar backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches, which can result in groupthink and limited innovation. 2️⃣ Those that consist of diverse teams. They have diversity on paper but struggle to unlock its full potential due to the absence of true inclusivity. 3️⃣ The rarest: those that consist of diverse and inclusive teams. These organizations know how to leverage their diversity through intentional inclusion, creating an environment where everyone contributes to a shared success. Here’s how I help organizations move from the first two types to the third: 🧠 Mindset In many diverse groups, diversity is seen as a challenge rather than an advantage. I help teams embrace a Diversity-Sum Mindset™, where varied perspectives are combined to fuel creativity, drive innovation, and amplify results. 🧡 Psychological Safety Diverse groups often lack the conditions needed for all voices to be heard, leading to disengagement or missed opportunities. I work to build Psychological Safety, where trust flourishes, and team members feel empowered to contribute their boldest ideas without fear. 🎯 Decision-Making Decision-making in diverse groups can be dominated by a few voices, stifling collective insight. Through Inclusive Decision-Making, I help teams integrate different viewpoints into cohesive strategies that lead to more balanced, innovative outcomes. 🕸 Collective Intelligence When teams can’t synergize their diverse ideas, they miss out on true innovation. I guide teams toward harnessing Collective & Collaborative Intelligence, unlocking their full potential to solve complex problems and adapt to new challenges. I designed this blueprint because I saw it from practice: the teams that thrive are those that embed diverse perspectives into their everyday actions, supported by a strong mindset, trust, and inclusive decisions. 🤔 P.S.: What kind of team have you been part of—homogeneous, diverse, or truly diverse & inclusive?

One of the clearest signals of whether a transformation is working isn’t in the plan - it’s in the conversations happening in your teams. So pay close attention to the frequency of healthy debate, constructive challenge and openness to new and divergent ideas that takes place. If the frequency is low… …there is the risk of creating the illusion of performance because people readily ‘understand’ each other, agree on everything, collaboration seems to flow smoothly and there is a collective sensation of progress. However, the opportunity cost is teams gets trapped in their own paradigms, opportunities get overlooked, risks ignored - and ultimately their output becomes derivative not innovative, performance diminishes as opposed to improving and compounding. If the frequency is high… …there is a level of psychological safety that allows for team members to be more objective, to speak up with relevant ideas, to constructively challenge each other, and bring their diverse perspectives and experiences to the table - in the knowledge it won’t be held against them. This opens up the opportunity of reframing the paradigm, and connecting different perspectives and ideas. Ingredients for creativity, innovation, resilience and performance. You see homogeneous teams might feel easier, but easy doesn’t translate into Performance. Here are a few ideas to experiment with your teams… 1. Intentionally foster a team environment that replaces scepticism with intellectual curiosity, an open and learning mindset.   2. Consider how you can create a ways of working that allows all ideas and perspectives from everyone in the room to be heard. 3. Encourage dissenting perspectives. Surrounding yourself with people who are willing to disagree with you and challenge your perspectives and each other. 4. Consider whether you may need to invite others to that creative or idea generation meeting to ensure you get a broader perspective. 5. De-stigmatise failure through sharing past mistakes and celebrating lessons learnt. 6. Institutionalise a team culture of healthy candour. Candour is one of the key attributes to improving the quality of output, levelling up creativity and enabling effective collaboration. What would you add? #transformation #culture #psychologicalsafety

Breakthrough results happen in safe spaces. Not the manufactured, corporate-speak version of safe spaces. The real kind, where people can actually be vulnerable. Here's the difference between saying it and actually putting measures in place to make it real. "This might get sensitive, but you know what? We got each other." That's how our facilitators start every session with executives facing major change. It's one of the most powerful moments. They don't just say "this is a safe space" and hope for the best. They create a container with actual commitments. Here's what we commit to in each session: Making a space for others to share and be heard.  Engaging and participating in exercises to the best of their ability.  Learning at least one new thing about themselves.  Learning at least one new thing about fellow participants. Taking risks.  Maintaining confidentiality.  Minimizing distractions.  Staying curious.  Having fun. It's a commitment that they all take to get vulnerable, to take a risk, and have each other's back. An actual framework. Not just theory. And here's what's powerful about it: We break the fourth wall. You can use this framework in your own meetings, one-on-ones, conversations and discussions. When you create space for executives to talk about their emotions, give them language for it and give them a productive framework to move through it, magic happens. This isn't “soft skill” coaching. This is practical, business-critical work. Because leaders who can't process their own emotions about change can't lead others through it. And those emotions come out in resistance, disengagement, and culture decay. In our sessions, executives talk about big things, like potentially losing their jobs in an acquisition. They name the fear. They explore the opportunity. All because we created a container where it was safe to be human. What would change if all of your meetings started with commitments like these?

Cultural awareness isn’t a ‘soft skill’—it’s the difference between a win and a loss in negotiations. I’ve seen top leaders close multimillion-dollar deals and lose them, all because they misunderstood cultural dynamics. I learned this lesson early in my career. Early in my negotiations, I assumed the rules of business were universal. But that assumption cost me time, deals, and valuable relationships. Here’s the thing: Culture impacts everything in a negotiation: - decision-making, - trust-building, and - even timing. Let me give you a few examples from my own experience: 1. Know the "silent signals": In one negotiation with a Japanese client, I learned that silence doesn’t mean disagreement. In fact, it’s a sign of deep thought. It was easy to misread, but recognizing this cultural trait helped me avoid rushing and respect their decision-making pace. 2. Understand authority dynamics: Working with a Middle Eastern team, I found that decisions often come from the top, but they require the approval of key family members or advisors. I adjusted my strategy, engaging with the right people at the right time, which changed the outcome of the deal. 3. Punctuality & respect: I once showed up five minutes early for a meeting with a South American partner. I quickly learned that arriving early was considered aggressive. In that culture, relationships are built on patience. I recalibrated, arriving at the exact time, and it made all the difference. These are the kinds of cultural insights you can only gain through experience. And they can’t be ignored if you want to negotiate at the highest level. When you understand the subtle, but significant, differences in how people from different cultures approach business, you’re no longer reacting to situations. You’re strategizing based on deep cultural awareness. This is what I teach my clients: How to integrate cultural awareness directly into their negotiation tactics to turn every encounter into a successful one. Want to elevate your negotiation strategy? Let’s talk and stop your next deal from falling apart. --------------------------------------- Hi, I’m Scott Harrison and I help executive and leaders master negotiation & communication in high-pressure, high-stakes situations.  - ICF Coach and EQ-i Practitioner - 24 yrs | 19 countries | 150+ clients   - Negotiation | Conflict resolution | Closing deals 📩 DM me or book a discovery call (link in the Featured section)

Let me share a moment from a team meeting I facilitated not long ago. The leader of the group started by laying out a big decision their team had to make. A few voices dominated the room, confident and loud, steering the discussion in a clear direction. The others? Silent. As an observer, it was clear there was more to the story. So, I asked: “What’s missing? Who else should we hear from?” It was like a light bulb went off. The quieter team members shared perspectives that completely shifted the decision-making process. What looked like the obvious choice moments ago suddenly seemed shortsighted. By the end of the meeting, they had a new, more innovative solution—one they wouldn’t have reached without that diverse input. Here’s the truth: Dominance doesn’t lead to better decisions—diversity does. Research backs this up: Teams with varied perspectives make more informed choices and foster greater innovation. Quick Wins for Better Decision-Making Today: 1️⃣ Pause before deciding: Ask, “Whose voice haven’t we heard yet?” 2️⃣ Encourage contrary views: Actively invite someone to challenge the majority opinion. 3️⃣ Normalize silence: Give space for quieter voices to think and then contribute. Now, your turn: Do you agree that diverse teams lead to better decisions, or do you believe too many perspectives can muddy the process? Let’s debate—drop your thoughts below. #DiversityInLeadership #TeamCollaboration #BetterDecisions #LeadershipInnovation

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲. We once had to shut down four city blocks in downtown Phoenix for a private Macklemore concert. On the surface, it sounds like logistics. In reality, it was about trust. It took a month meeting with city departments, knocking on doors, and listening to city employees who mostly wanted to help the public, get a paycheck and benefits, plus not lose their job. Each had their own concerns: safety, traffic, liability or what would their boss do to them. Instead of pushing my agenda, I focused on their pain points and showed that I understood what mattered to them.  After the month of planning, we started at 2:15 the morning of the concert, to set up - they would not let us close the roads, then I convinced them it was okay, after the bars closed. That’s how you move big, complicated projects forward. Not with pressure. Not with shortcuts, instead - by giving people confidence that you see them, hear them, and will protect their interests (if nothing else, that they won’t get fired, their kids will be okay and life will be good). The principle is simple. 𝐈𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬. 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. Whether you’re closing a deal, running a campaign, or trying to get four blocks of a city to shut down, the foundation is the same: trust built through listening. What’s one way you’ve built trust in a tough negotiation? #Trust #Negotiation #DealMaking #TILTTheRoom #MediaLaw #Macklemore Christopher Voss Kwame Christian, Esq., M.A. Alexandra Carter Dr. Robert Cialdini Scott Tillema

4 English Micro-Shifts That Prevent Chain Reactions in High-Stress Conversations Ever notice how one phrase can stop the domino effect in a high-stress conversation — especially a negotiation? 🎯 Why it matters Across high-stakes professions, we’re often taught that conflict escalates because of what is said. Focus on interests. Separate people from the problem. Keep emotions out of the room. But in high-stress moments, it’s often our language choices — modal verbs, framing, pronouns, sequencing — that shape how the nervous system interprets the moment. These cues can tilt us toward fight/flight or toward enough regulation to think clearly. Research in cognitive and emotional processing points to an interplay between systems involved in regulation and systems involved in emotional response. And several lines of research suggest that small shifts in wording can change how threatening we sound, even when the underlying disagreement stays the same. Here are the highlights: ✨ Mitigation and stance markers soften perceived hostility. 🔄 Pronoun choices shape affiliation. 🔍 Framing influences emotional interpretation. English gives you practical tools to tip the balance toward calm — and to keep everyone in a problem-solving mindset. 🔧 What to adjust Here are small linguistic shifts that lower tension and keep the negotiation productive: 1️⃣ “You must…” → “Could we look at…?” ⚡ Direct imperatives increase the likelihood of resistance. 🤝 Modal questions reduce perceived threat and invite collaboration. 2️⃣ “This is unacceptable.” → “Here’s what’s challenging on our side.” 🛑 Global judgments can activate defensiveness. 🎯 Specific descriptions lower perceived threat and help regulate emotional load. 3️⃣ “You didn’t deliver…” → “The delivery was delayed.” 🔄 Removing “you” reduces perceived blame and helps prevent threat responses that interfere with clear thinking. 4️⃣ “We insist that…” → “Our preference would be…” 📣 High-authority verbs can feel coercive. 🌱 Softer framing reduces threat without weakening the substance of your position. Each change is small. But each creates a micro-dose of emotional safety — enough for both parties to stay present, listen, and actually resolve the issue. 📥 The takeaway Clear legal English isn’t just about precision. It’s a form of co-regulation. The calmer your language, the more space you create for the other side to think instead of react. 👉 For those interested in exploring these strategies in a structured, practice-focused way, the Contract English Accelerator waitlist is open. Link in the comments. 📚 Further reading • Ochsner, K. & Gross, J. — on the interplay between regulation and emotional systems • Etkin, A., Büchel, C. & Gross, J. — on neural pathways involved in emotional reactivity • Brown, P. & Levinson, S. — on mitigation and politeness strategies • Pennebaker, J. — on pronoun use and social affiliation • Tversky, A. & Kahneman, D. — on framing and perception

When I first started hiring, I looked for people like me. Same mindset. Same strengths. I thought that’s how you build a strong team. But what I didn’t realise was - I was building an echo chamber. We didn’t stretch. We didn’t challenge each other. We just kept reinforcing what we already knew. Everything changed when I started hiring people different from me. Different views. Different strengths. Different ways of working. And suddenly - The gaps closed New ideas flooded in The missing parts appeared Because the best teams don’t just get along They complete each other. Here’s what that actually looks like: 1️⃣ Different cognitive strengths unlock potential ↳ Some see patterns. Others cut through noise. ↳ Respect how people naturally think. 2️⃣ Varied life experiences bring fresh solutions ↳ One person’s obvious is another’s breakthrough. ↳ Difference is a shortcut to innovation. 3️⃣ Multiple skill sets create unstoppable combinations ↳ Pair analytical minds with creative thinkers. ↳ Blend logic with emotional intelligence. 4️⃣ Diverse perspectives catch blind spots ↳ What you miss, someone else will see clearly. ↳ Better questions lead to better decisions. 5️⃣ Psychological safety builds trust ↳ When people feel safe, they contribute more. ↳ Conformity kills ideas. Belonging brings them to life. 6️⃣ Different communication styles reach more people ↳ Some lead with data. Others connect through story. ↳ Your message travels further with both. 7️⃣ Working preferences shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all ↳ Some need quiet. Others thrive in a crowd. ↳ Design teams that honour both. We’re not meant to know and do it all. We’re meant to do it together. Surrounding yourself with people different from you isn’t a threat. It’s a gift that reveals what you couldn’t see. Fills the gaps you didn’t know were there. And takes you further than you could go alone. ♻️ If this resonated, share it forward. ➕ Follow Cristina Grancea for more purpose-driven leadership insights

I once had a supplier who was constantly difficult. Calls turned into arguments. Emails were blunt, sometimes outright RUDE. Every small request became a standoff. At first, I assumed he was just being combative. He ran a logistics company, moving high-value goods across Europe, and every conversation felt like a clash over rates, SLAs, and timelines. One day, after yet another tense call, he let his guard down a little and became more 'human'. His company had just lost a major client, and on top of that, his father was seriously ill. He wasn’t just fighting over contracts, he was fighting to keep his business (and personal life) intact. It reminded me of The Anger Volcano - a framework often used for children. It explains that anger is what we see, but beneath it are deeper emotions like stress, fear, and frustration. Procurement, negotiation, and supplier relationships are no different. When people push back or react badly, it’s rarely just about the deal. It’s about what’s brewing beneath the surface. This is how to negotiate when emotions run high: 🔹 Listen beyond the words What’s really driving their reaction? 🔹 Acknowledge emotions: A simple “I can see this is frustrating” can defuse tension. 🔹 Ask, don’t assume “What’s the biggest challenge for you right now?” shifts the conversation. 🔹 Slow it down Giving space can lead to better outcomes. 🔹 Find a win-win It’s not about winning, it’s about solving the problem. --------- Once we actually talked, we found a way forward that worked for both sides. And from that day on, negotiations became conversations, not battles. Everyone’s fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind, always.