Use Time Constraints Cautiously to Negotiate Successfully

When you negotiate, to what degree do you allow time to influence you? Do you even give consideration to the constraints time has in and during a negotiation? All of us have the exact same amount of time. Some of us become more successful than others based on what we do with our time. The same holds true when negotiating.

When you plan a negotiation session(s), give careful consideration to the implication of time. Be astutely aware of how time will bound your session.

One of the key ingredients to negotiating successfully is to gain awareness of the time constraints placed on the other party. To the degree you have information about their time constraints, you have a powerful tool in your arsenal of strategies and tactics you can employ. If you know they are under a very tight time constraint and you’re the only source from which they can get what they need, you’re position becomes even more powerful  (note: if at all possible, try never to place yourself in a position of only having one source from which to obtain what you seek).

As you negotiate, use the strategy of time constraint wisely. By that I mean, if you give the other person a deadline by which to address a situation, first, tie some form of penalty to that deadline. Then, if he does not meet the request tied to the deadline, be ready to apply the penalties.

If you allow a deadline to expire without applying penalties, or exacting some toll for its expiration, you will weaken your negotiation position, if you try to use time in the same fashion as before. In addition, your overall negotiation position will be weakened, because things you say after that point will be brought into question, as far as your ability to follow through.

When it comes to using time as a constraint, a tool, or a strategy, always consider the implication of it not being adhered to. Use time wisely and you’ll come out ahead every time … and everything will be right with the world.

The negotiation lessons are …

  • Always understand the value of time when negotiating. The greater your knowledge about the other person’s time, the greater your negotiation position.
  • Apply time constraints only when you’re prepared to back them up with some form of penalty. If you fail to apply a penalty to a time constraint, you reduce the effectiveness of the constraint.
  • Remember, time as a strategy is a double edged sword. You can enhance your negotiation position by using it at the appropriate time, but without some form of enforcement, your position will be weakened and you run the risk of not being able to strengthen your position past that point should you try to use time again in that manner.

Spells Of Magic: How The Past Continues To Influence The Present

The spells of magic have always fascinated each and every child. In a child’s imagination, magic is associated with magicians, beautiful things, and mythical creatures. But as a child grows up, he realizes that these things are too far from reality. He begins to see that the world is not perfect, but cruel; not magical but practical. The question is, do we really know what magic is? Did we even research on how it came about? In this article, I will be tackling some issues on magic and the spells that go with it.

In the real world, magic is often viewed with suspicion by the wider community, and is commonly practiced in isolation and secrecy. They are not all the time associated with beautiful things, just as what we have learned when we were kids. Magic is the art of altering things either by supernatural means or through knowledge of natural laws not accepted by science. Practitioners of magic believe that there are things that cannot be explained by logic, whereas science fully bases its theories by direct or indirect observations, and should be logically explained.

Practitioners of magic are called magicians. The knowledge of magic may be passed down from one magician to another, usually by kin or apprenticeships. In some cultures, this knowledge may be bought or purchased.. Skilled magicians can appear to make flowers bloom in mid-air, cut women in half, conjure rabbits from top hats, escape from sealed tanks, and perform other feats.However, having magical knowledge per se is not an assurance of a magical power. Usually, a person should have magical objects or special traits in order to fully claim the title of a magician.

The concept of magic has been present in human culture for thousands of years. In the past, people who practiced magic often are venerated by people in the community because of the wide array of their services. These include removal of bad spells, health care, and many more.

While practitioners of magic were historically sometimes venerated, they were also feared. There was a time in the past when witches and other similar practitioners were punished, tortured or killed. People believed that the spells cast by these people are to be blamed for tragic events, such as famines and plagues.

Modern practitioners of magician still be found in many regions of the world. The practice of magic for these people may include spells, rituals, medication, and the creation of magical objects, charms, and similar tools.

Magic is a discipline in which people learn to physically manipulate their environment to create illusions. The practice of magic does not necessarily involve the harnessing of supernatural forces; it requires hard, focused work and years of study to be successful. To conclude, it is crystal clear that the spells of magic from the past continue to influence the present generation, regardless of the history attached to its practice. Furthermore, it is obvious that some people still believe in magic, despite the lack of any logical explanation.

Special Delivery – Giving Talks, Presentations And Speeches With Awesome Delivery – Part 1 Of 2

It can be so frustrating. You hear a comedian tell the absolute funniest joke in the world. It’s so funny that you’re on the floor for ten minutes, shrieking hysterically. The next day you tell the same joke to your friends and their reactions are, to say the least, more subdued.

Now you’re devastated. “Don’t you get it?” you ask. They tell you they did get it, but it just wasn’t all that funny. “I guess you had to be there,” you mutter.

You know, often it’s not so much the joke itself that puts you on the floor, but the way it’s told. Comedians are masters of expression, voice-tone, timing, and all the subliminal little things they do that makes their renditions sparkle. Without these, yours will most likely fall flat.

It’s the same with any form of public speaking. It’s not just the words you say, but how you say them and how you send them to your listeners.

In short, it’s all in your delivery.

Delivery is everything in a talk or presentation. Okay, maybe not everything. Of course its content matters greatly as well.

But … if you want to really WOW your audience, keep in mind that your content – your words – need to impact the listener.

Now, the word, “impact” may seem to suggest a ranting and raving not unlike a pep rally or a political speech a-la Martin Luther King, Jr. Yes, certain talks call for this sort of highly-charged, impassioned delivery. But even if your talk is of the lower-key sort – a business meeting or a class, for instance – you certainly don’t want to bore your listener.

Great delivery is, above all, a matter of:

1. Intensity

2. Expression

Today we’ll cover intensity. By this I mean, first of all, to speak intensely. Keep your voice strong and clear. Speak up! Don’t say you can’t. Of course you can! What would you do if your child just doused the cat with half a bottle of your $60 cologne? Mumble? Whisper? I don’t think so. No, you would use those lungs of yours! Do the same in your talks. Push, push, push! Belt those words out! Listeners love it.

Second, speak as if you are very interested in your subject. It would help if you could find your way toward becoming very interested in it. But even if you can’t … fake it! Like the saying goes, “fake it ’til you feel it!”

A good speaker can get an audience fired up about nearly anything. Even the most mundane subjects can, if delivered with intensity, come alive. Think of the announcer on a commercial for a “New!” tortilla chip. How does he talk? Pretty intensely, right? We’re talking about a bag of salty, greasy fried corn here. But the way this person is speaking, you’d think they’d found a cure for cancer.

So I don’t care if you’re presenting a quarterly sales report, or giving a lecture on upholstery repair. Present that information with as much intensity as you possibly can! Make the subject interesting. Make the content stick in the listener’s mind. Make an impact upon your listener. Make them glad they came.
Conjure up as much infectious enthusiasm for your subject as you possibly can. And let it show on your face.

In fact, exaggerate. By that I mean, whatever mood you’re trying to express, exaggerate it. Don’t just sound interested, sound very interested. Don’t just sound encouraging, sound very encouraging.

You see, more often than not, the intensity with which we speak arrives at the listener in a weakened state. I don’t mean just the volume. It’s as if traveling through twenty-five feet of airspace simply dilutes half the energy right out of it. So, to compensate: Put more intensity, interest, and energy than you think you need.

Don’t worry that you might go too far with this. I’ve never seen a speaker who I thought was too “into it” – with the exception of a few over-the-top politicians, perhaps. More often than not, the opposite is true.

Ask yourself: How many speakers have I heard who were too excited? Or who made me feel too excited? Then ask: How many speakers have I heard who weren’t interesting enough? (i.e., bo-o-ring!)

To be interesting, be interested!

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In Part Two of “Special Delivery” we’ll look at the truly fun component of great delivery: Expression. Until then, I wish you the best with your public speaking endeavors!