5.. Set the Tone and Look the Part.

You are the one who should set the tone of the negotiation. When you come into the room for the first time, you should look the part. You should wear professional clothes. If a woman, don’t wear a lot of distracting jewelry. Act as though you know what you are doing and get to business quickly. Have a notebook and a briefcase and start right in. Project the image that you want to project. You might even try it in the mirror a few times. You want to give good eye contact and be a good listener. You want to seem knowledgeable about the issue or issues to be discussed of the day. You can state what your philosophy is and what your negotiation style is. Think of the qualities of a negotiator that you admire most and try to project them. For example, my idea of a good negotiator is someone who is firm, flexible, fair, and honest, and has a good sense of humor. That is the tone I would like to set.

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