According to the World Health Organization, incorporating life skills lessons in education can help children deal with the bombardment of demands and challenges of everyday life. Negotiation skills training is one option teachers can apply that’s jam-packed with life skills, such as:
- communication
- conflict resolution
- active listening
- value maximization
- emotional control
So, consider incorporating negotiation lessons and activities into your school curriculum to give learners a firm foundation to flourish.
Here are some of the main areas where learners can benefit from negotiating to not only visualize but also shape their own futures.
Securing and maintaining well-paying jobs
According to Salary.com, not negotiating your salary can see you lose out on millions of dollars in potential earnings. Even with yearly raises, when the initial offer starts too low, you’ll still be leaving money on the table. However, research by PayScale found that only 37% of young people have ever broached the topic of a higher salary when offered a job. Many cited the fact that they felt uncomfortable with salary negotiations.
Negotiation skills can help young people gain the confidence they need to negotiate better salaries and perks.
Handling workplace drama
Workplace politics can be a difficult balancing act to move through that can topple promising careers through backstabbing, sabotage, or rumors. Training in negotiation capabilities can help your learners navigate complex workplace relationships and, ultimately, rise on top of the challenges.
For instance, when dealing with a sabotaging coworker, your empowered students can pull out of their pockets key negotiation skills, such as:
- Questioning and active listening to get to the bottom of the rift.
- Emotional intelligence to figure out how to smooth things over without escalating the situation.
- Persuasion to help turn the situation around so both sides can see eye to eye.
Your students can also gain the ability to think on their feet even in intense situations and respond in a manner that moves them closer to desired results.
Managing relationships
With negotiation competencies, students can learn how to build, manage, and maintain healthy relationships. You can help your students to develop a more holistic view of life by focusing on the bigger picture.
Negotiations allow each side to discuss where they stand. When opposing views are shared, both sides can identify where their walk-away positions converge. Once students develop the ability to consider other perspectives, it will be easier to find win-win solutions that improve relationships.
Negotiation proficiency can also help students interact with other people. These interpersonal skills can improve how they integrate into the work environment and society at large.
Making purchasing decisions
Negotiation training can help your students stretch their dollars. The acquired skills will come in handy when securing lower prices and discounts on large and regular purchases. For instance, when buying their first car or paying for a vacation.
Students will also learn to establish the lowest point they are willing to go before starting the negotiations. That way, they’ll know to walk away from bad and costly transactions.
Set learners up for a brighter future with negotiation
By training your learners in negotiation techniques, you can help them flourish in their careers, finances, as well as personal and professional relationships. So, consider making negotiation learning an important component of your curriculum to empower students with skills that will see them into the future.
