THE KREMLIN SCHOOLOF NEGOTIATION
THE KREMLIN SCHOOLOF NEGOTIATION
IGOR RYZOV
TRANSLATED BY ALEX FLEMING
First published in Great Britain, the USA and Canada in 2019
by Canongate Books Ltd, 14 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TE
First published in Russia in 2016 by Eksmo Publishing House LLC
Distributed in the USA by Publishers Group West
and in Canada by Publishers Group Canada
This digital edition first published in 2019 by Canongate Books
Copyright © Igor Ryzov, 2016
Translation © Alex Fleming, 2019
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. The publisher apologises for any errors or omissions and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available on request from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 78689 617 9
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: MASTERING THE KREMLIN SCHOOL OF NEGOTIATION
Identifying your negotiation opponent’s goals and motives
Who is stronger in negotiations – the lion or the fox?
Being the lion in pursuit of your interests
Recognising your opponent’s behaviour: four behaviour types, from the ‘teenager’ to the ‘tank’
Regulating tensions around the negotiating table
CHAPTER 2: LEARNING TO TELL A COMPROMISE FROM AN UNNECESSARY CONCESSION
Creating a negotiation budget: four key components that affect results
Build a magic polygon of interests
CHAPTER 3: FIVE KEY TECHNIQUES THAT GET RESULTS IN TOUGH NEGOTIATIONS
Eye contact as a guarantee for success
Shielding yourself from ‘need’ and fear
Saying ‘no’ without damaging relationships
The position of ‘host’ spells success
Finding your cause
CHAPTER 4: NEGOTIATING IN TOUGH CONDITIONS
Protecting yourself from pressure and manipulation
Three important measures for controlling your emotions
CHAPTER 5: SEVEN TECHNIQUES FOR REACHING AGREEMENTS WITH A TOUGH OPPONENT
How to parry small jabs and figure out your opponent’s position
Turn battle into co-operation
Use connectors to unearth a manipulator’s motives
Disputing the right way, without provocation
Dodging rudeness
A joke and a kind word – guarantees of success with even the most aggressive opponents
The ‘humour’ technique
CHAPTER 6: GENTLY AND DISCREETLY CHANGE AN OPPONENT’S POINT OF VIEW
Showing your opponent the benefit of your proposals: a play on contrasts
A trusty way of nudging your opponent towards the ‘right’ decision
Don’t fall for a quick ‘yes’
The answer to the hardest question
To catch something first let it go
Do I need to reciprocate gifts?
CHAPTER 7: BUILDING A NEGOTIATION ROADMAP
What governs negotiations? The role of strategy and tactics
Building a roadmap and what you will need
Some personal impressions on negotiating with international opponents
AUTHOR’S NOTE
What prevents us from achieving our goals? The answer, of course, will depend on the situation. Whenever a person has a goal they want to accomplish, they will first (if they are mildly practical, at least) consider what obstacles they will have to overcome. And often they’ll find that the list of potential obstacles could quite easily go on forever.
So what prevents negotiators – even very experienced ones – from achieving their goals? Inflexibility, unwillingness to compromise, personal ambitions . . . yes, that list could also go on for a while.
In my workshops, I am often asked similar questions. When I answer, I always give thought to the specific circumstances at hand. However, over the years I have come to realise that it would make sense to provide some more general answers, too. This is how the idea for this book was born, although it should be said, it isn’t only about providing answers. With this book, I wanted to create a teaching aid to guide you through one of the most complex disciplines of any business course – a negotiation manual, if you like. In it, I have included exercises that will not only help you to discover a variety of effective negotiation methods, but, more importantly, to put them into practice straight away. This book will become your very own negotiation tool, a personal arsenal of ‘combat’ techniques.
When I say ‘you’, I mainly have in mind those who have already discovered negotiation as both a science and a