Corporate & Professional Development

Negotiation Skills for Project Managers

Video Introduction Closed Captioned

This course teaches project managers essential negotiation and conflict management skills. Project managers are often in the position of having accountability without formal authority. They may be held responsible for the success or failure of projects executed by people who do not report to them. They may or may not have control of the project budget. Members of their project teams are likely to have conflicting priorities. They themselves may be managing multiple projects. Time, money, material, and people are often in short supply. For all of these reasons, project managers have to be skilled negotiators and conflict managers to be effective in their roles.

Negotiation Skills for Project Managers lets you learn by doing. You will build your skills and confidence by participating in multiple, project-management-focused role-playing scenarios based on case studies and students’ own experience.

Topics

  1. How to prepare for a negotiation or bargaining encounter
  2. Uncovering interests
  3. Effective communication in conflict situations
  4. Techniques of problem-solving or win-win negotiation
  5. "Hardball" negotiation tactics
  6. Negotiation via telephone and email

Learning Outcomes

You will learn how to:
  1. Prepare for formal and informal bargaining and conflict management encounters
  2. Use problem-solving negotiation techniques
  3. Recognize and respond to "hardball" tactics
  4. Use active listening, reframing, and an awareness of mental models to enhance communication and reduce tensions

When you complete this course, you will receive 36 educational contact hours (3.6 CEUS).

Instructor

Sue Ellen Beers
sue_ellen_beers@yahoo.com

Sue Ellen Beers is a project manager, trainer, and consultant with more than 20 years of experience in the software industry. She is also a mediator and has a particular interest in the role of interpersonal and inter-group conflict in project dynamics.

Sue Ellen holds a PMP certification from the Project Management Institute, a BA in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and is a candidate for MA in Dispute Resolution at the University of Massachusetts Boston.