Instructor
Leigh Melton, adjunct professor of management
Head Games
Though it’s offered through the business school, this course teaches students as much about psychology as it does about business principles, says Melton, an attorney and mediator.
What’s Your Sign?
One of the first tasks for students is to determine their personality types: introvert or extrovert; sensor or intuitive; thinkers or feelers; judgers or perceivers. Then opposite types are paired for a simulated negotiation. “After a few times, students learn to read and understand personality types, which makes negotiating more effective,” Melton said.
Not Speaking the Same Language
In another role-playing exercise, one group of students plays Americans while the other takes on the characteristics of another culture. Americans like to settle things quickly,” said Melton. “People from other countries often want to learn about the other person they’re negotiating with before they even begin to do business.”
Everything Is Negotiable
Students also must conduct a negotiation themselves and then write a paper about their experience. They have negotiated everything from the terms of a gym membership or the amount of a scholarship award to the price of Gatorade at a convenience store, Melton said.
What’s on the Table
"Students come to the realization they’ve actually been negotiating their whole lives. In this class, they learn how to figure out what people really want—and it’s not always about money. Negotiation skills are essential for success in almost any work/life domain.”
Suggested Reading
Bargaining for Advantage by Richard Shell; Getting To Yes by Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton; The Art of Speed Reading People by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger
Leave a Comment