Book review: Negotiating for dummies by Michael Donaldson

Negotiating for dummies – Michael C. Donaldson

Synopsis:
This ‘for dummies’ book explains what negotiating is and how to apply it in various situations. The first part deals with preparation and explains what should be done before a negotiation begins. The second part explains the actual process and looks at what questions to ask, how to properly listen and what to look for in body language from the other parties. The third part looks at how to handle situations when they don’t go smoothly. Part four looks at ‘complex’ situations such as international negotiations and negotiating over the phone or internet.
The book is written in a format like all the other ‘for dummies’ books. The author uses movies as examples to help explain a point or method. Clear advice is given for specific situations.

What I gained from reading this book:
I had already read a few books on negotiating before reading this one so I already had a good understanding on the topic. However, if this was the first book I had of read, I would have been very confused by the end. Normally I only review books that I believe give the readers value. This book was fairly poorly written (in my opinion of course) and it seems the author isn’t sure how to teach the topic in a book. If you read the reviews on Amazon, you can see that I’m not the only person who feels this way.

Unfortunately, this book is confusing in its layout and the information given is very general. One example was the chapters on asking questions and listening. If you picked up the book and read those chapters without looking at the title of the book, you wouldn’t have thought it was a book on negotiating. Some of the topics that are discussed are a far stretch from what negotiating is about. The author seems to have trouble staying on topic and the result is a collection of ideas that relate to negotiation, not a clear method or explanation. The references to movies are an example of how the author drifts off topic. Although the movies may provide insight to the topic, the references don’t explain anything on their own.

This book falls far behind the others I have read on the topic. The others (list at end of review) were very detailed in the actual method used and explained BATNA (a term developed by the Harvard Negotiating Institute) very well. This book only mentions BATNA in one single paragraph. Compare that one paragraph to other books that have been written solely explaining BATNA.

NOTE: Although I was truly disappointed with this book, others may benefit from it. If you are after a general look at negotiating and how to improve your ability to discuss issues with people, it may be right for you.

Positives:
As all the ‘for dummies’ book, this one is very basic to understand and anybody can pick it up and start reading from any chapter. The advice given for specific situations can help those who aren’t sure exactly what they could do.
The references to movies may help you get an idea of what the author is talking about.

Negatives:
The book looks at a great number of different aspects related to negotiating, but doesn’t go into depth into any of those aspects.
There is no clear explanation of a method to use or details to BATNA, which so many other books spend a significant portion of pages explaining and demonstrating.

Recommended for: Not recommended.
This book does not meet my quality requirements for me to recommend to anybody. Although some people may benefit from it, there are better alternatives (listed below).
Negotiation is an important topic that I believe everybody should learn so I recommend you read the reviews I have written for other negotiation books.

Genre: Business skills

Overall rating: 4 out of 10 stars



Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below:

Where to from here:

Instead of reading this book, I recommend the following on negotiation:

Getting to YES by Roger Fisher and William Ury

Alternatively, to understand another way of influencing people, I recommend:

How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie

Gaining an advantage in a recession

THE CURRENT SITUATION
The current (2009) global economic position isn't too flash. With many countries in or nearing recession, companies are more likely to downsize and people are more likely to lose their job. Increasing your skill base not only improves your chances of keeping your current job, but it also improves your competitiveness if you look for another job. Recruiters are known to be pickier in times of recession and maximising your skills and knowledge can help you stand out of the crowd.
If you currently have a job you like you should be happy because many people wish they could say the same thing. If you are concerned about the real possibility of losing that job, reading up on the following topics will put you in a better position to hold onto your job.
On the other hand, if you are unfortunate enough to have lost a job already, don't let it get you down. Read up on these topics to help you stand out of the crowd when looking for a new job.

WHAT TO LEARN
For those who are looking at improving their skills and knowledge to gain an edge in the business world, I recommend learning the following topics.

1. Negotiation
It doesn't matter what type of job you have or want, you will need to know how to negotiate. People have a common misconception about negotiating, thinking it is only for union leaders or board room meetings. In fact, it is an everyday skill that everybody uses without even realising it. By reading up on this skill, you will not only have more control of your current situation, but you will have more control over your future situation. This is number one on the list because of the positive impact it can have on your career. It’s not just used to ask for a raise, it can be used to get more favourable hours, flexibility, increase possibility for promotion, etc.

2. Communication
Look at almost any job advertisement and under the list of skills required will almost definitely be 'good communication skills'. It is so important and yet, many people don't even bother to learn about it. Even reading one book on the subject puts you above the majority. So find a book on the topic and read about it. Then go out there and apply the information you have read. Recruiters put a very high emphasis on communication skills.

3. Body language
Most people either don't have a clue what body language is or they have an extremely limited understanding of it. This is why it is so important to learn. If you learn about body language, you will have a clear advantage over most people. Body language is the non-verbal language everybody uses without realising it. You can accurately read other people's signals and gestures to determine their thoughts and feelings. This is great for most jobs when you work with other people. Reading other people's body language can help you a great deal.

4. Business basics such as accounting, economics, management, marketing
Even having a basic understanding of these areas can put you at an advantage. Most people are happy with their limited understanding and don't care about learning other areas. Those who learn even the basics of other business areas have an advantage. If you have ever heard somebody use jargon and you were left scratching your head over it, you should learn more about the area. Not only will it make your life easier by understanding more, but other people will recognise and value your wide understanding.

5. Personal finance
This topic is more for your own personal needs rather than career need. Having a better understanding of personal finance can help you improve your situation so a recession won't have as much of an impact on you. Unfortunately for many, the recession has already hit hard. In either case by learning more on personal finance you are improving your future prospects. If you know the basics you should continue your learning by reading up on more advanced areas. Doesn't matter what your current situation is, you can improve your situation through learning. Even if you have a financial planner you go to, you should still read up on it. You may even find out that the principles are so basic you can do it yourself without any help from a financial planner.

THE FUTURE SITUATION
By reading up on these topics you put yourself in a better position for the future. If you read up on the basics of economics, you will find out that recessions (like the current one) will end. When the recession ends you will be better prepared for the next expansion (opposite of recession) and be at an advantage when looking to improve your career. While I can't guarantee that learning about these topics will be enough to get you a new job or keep your existing one, I am sure that it will help you to do so. Just remember, the more you learn the luckier you get.

Have a look at List of Book Reviews to find books I have reviewed on the topics above. If you can think of any other topics that are useful to gaining an advantage in a recession and could be added to this list, feel free to let me know by leaving a comment.

Book review: Getting to YES (Negotiating Agreement without giving in) by Roger Fisher and William Ury

Getting to YES (Negotiating Agreement without giving in) 2nd ed– Roger Fisher and William Ury

Synopsis:
This book can be thought of as an introduction to negotiation. Many people have a misunderstanding of what negotiation really is. If you think of negotiating as two people in a corporate situation pounding fists on tables or haggling with a car salesperson, you need to learn what negotiating really is. This book explains why you should learn how to negotiate and then goes into the method of negotiation to achieve agreement. It looks at what you should focus on while negotiating and deals with dirty tricks others may use and how to avoid them.

What I gained from reading this book:
I have read a few negotiating books and most of them followed similar information and advice. This was the fourth book I had read on the topic so the information here was not new to me. However, it was good to read the methods and examples from a different perspective. The book goes into detail on why you should focus on interests rather than positions and uses examples that are very common in real life.
As this book is more of a foundation to negotiating, I would have gained more if it was the first book I read on the subject. If you haven’t read anything on negotiating before, this book is a great place to start.

Positives:
Good use of examples to explain problems and solutions. Explains the foundations of negotiating very well and clear enough to start applying the principles straight away. This book is not only for business people, negotiations happen every day in all aspects of life. As the author says ‘like it or not, you’re a negotiator’. You may not think you negotiate before you read this book but you notice that you certainly do afterwards. If you apply the principles you may find you make much better decisions and reach better agreements more often. Negotiating is a skill everybody should learn. If you apply these principles, life can be made just that extra bit easier.

Negatives:
If you have already read books on negotiating before reading this one, you may feel disappointed because it will most likely cover the same ground. But of course if this is your first book on negotiating it won’t be a problem.

Recommended for: Everybody
I recommend this book for everybody because no matter what you do for a living, you need to know how to negotiate. This isn’t just for salespeople and corporate executives (although it can help those people immensely). This book can help you even with day to day negotiations like ‘what to have for dinner’ or ‘what TV channel to watch’.

Genre: Business skills

Overall rating: 7 of 10 stars

Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below



Where to from here:
To improve your negotiating understanding, it would be a good idea to read a book on body language:
What every BODY is saying by Joe Navarro
Body language (How to read others’ thoughts by their gestures) by Allan Pearse

Alternatively, to understand another way of influencing people, I recommend:
How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie