Introduction to Negotiation Skills
Dear All,
Today, we begin an exciting new journey together—a course on Negotiation Skills, the art of creating win-win outcomes with our business partners.
But before we dive into models, strategies, and techniques, let me take you back to something very simple… something from our childhood.
Thumb Wrestling.
Thumb Wrestling.Yes—the small, playful battle we all took part in as kids.
One… two… three… and the match begins.
In thumb wrestling, we usually think the goal is to defeat the other person.
But pause for a moment and ask yourself:
🌟 Is there a way to create a win-win situation in thumb wrestling?
🌟 Can a game designed for competition be turned into collaboration?
This simple childhood game holds a powerful lesson about negotiation—
that sometimes, the real win is not in overpowering the other side,
but in discovering how both can benefit together.
And that is exactly what this course is about.
Let’s start.
Now, let’s go a little deeper into this idea.
When two people play thumb wrestling, they usually lock hands, tighten their grip, and try to pin the opponent’s thumb as fast as possible.
Because that’s what we’ve always believed the game is about—winning over the other person.
But imagine a twist.
What if instead of fighting each other…
both players decide to cooperate?
What if they agree:
“You pin my thumb once…
then I’ll pin yours…
and we’ll keep alternating?”
Suddenly, something magical happens:
- Instead of one winner and one loser,
- Instead of stress, pressure, and struggle,
- Both players start gaining points—fast, smooth, effortless.
This is the heart of win-win negotiation.
👉 When we stop seeing the other person as the enemy,
👉 When we stop assuming that “for me to win, you must lose,”
👉 And when we start exploring mutual benefit…
A whole new world of possibilities opens up.
This is how great negotiators think.
They focus on value creation, not value capture.
They look for mutual interest, not mutual defeat.
And just like in thumb wrestling,
the moment both sides shift their mindset—
the game changes completely.
In the coming sessions, we will learn:
✨ How to move from competition to collaboration
✨ How to turn conflicts into opportunities
✨ How to build trust during negotiations
✨ And how to create outcomes where both sides feel they’ve won
This journey starts today—
with a simple game,
and a powerful mindset shift.
Let’s continue.