如何完成不可能的談判

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一般人常把談判協商視作討價還價和爭論，哈佛商學院教授Deepak Malhotra在新書<>（不可能的談判）中剖析，談判其實是同理心的運用，並且提供能立即派上用場、化解談判僵局的實用技巧。進入本文前，請先想想如何表達以下單字：

(A) 討價還價
(B) 同理心
(C) 越過終點線(達到目標)

Whether you're (1) angling for a raise or hammering out a deal, there are times when the prospects for success can feel bleak. One question that people always ask is how they can negotiate more effectively when things seem hopeless. The good news is, even the most difficult of negotiation problems have potential solutions.
想談加薪或拿下一筆，勝算不大的時候，怎麼有效協商？即使是最困難的談判，也有可能成功。

People too often equate negotiation with (A) haggling and debating. Actually, negotiation is always, fundamentally, about human interaction, and (B) empathy is essential for achieving your own objectives. How can we engage with other human beings in such a way as to achieve better understandings and agreements?
我們常把協商想做討價還價和爭論。事實上，協商是人與人之間的互動，運用同理心達成目的。如何以這樣的方式進一步理解雙方、達成一致結論？

Empathy is about understanding the interests, constraints, and perspective of the other parties. If you do not understand what drives them (their interests), you will have a hard time structuring a viable agreement. If you do not understand their constraints, you may ask for things that are impossible. Finally, if you do not understand their perspective, you will not be able to anticipate all of the barriers to getting the deal done.
同理心就是洞悉對方的利益、束縛與視角。不了解對方的利益，便難以架構切實可行的協議。無法洞悉對方的束縛，便會提出對方辦不到的要求。最後，不不能從對方角度看問題，便無法預見妨礙協議的所有問題。

Bear in mind that always negotiate process before substance. Consider the following situation. You have been negotiating for months and everything is (2) smooth sailing. To help (C)cross the finish line, you take pains to make several concessions, and the other side responds, “This is very helpful. Now let me just speak to my boss and see what she thinks.” You are at a loss for words: You have a boss? I thought we were finished. I have nothing left to give. This is a problem of not having a process strategy before entering negotiations.
記得先確定流程，再進入實質協商。想想以下的情況：談判多時，一切再順利不過，你為了儘快完成談判，還盡力作出讓步，對方卻回答：「這很有幫助，讓我先向老闆報告，看她怎麼說。」你頓時無言以對：你有老闆？我以為我們已經談完，我已無法再讓步了。之所以發生這樣的問題問題，就是在無程序策略之前，便一頭栽入協商。

Can empathy be learned? You can start to change your behaviors right away. You can ask more questions in your negotiations to better ascertain the other parties' interests. If you are unsure of how they are constrained, you can propose multiple options for structuring a deal, instead of making just one offer. You can decide not to respond too quickly to seemingly hostile or irrational behaviors. These are all behavioral changes that you can start to implement today.
「同理心」學得來嗎？可以從這些做法開始。協商時，提出更多問題，以更清楚對方的利益所在。不確定對方受限之處為何，你可提出多個方案，而非只提一個。對於具有敵意或非理性的行為，可避免匆促回應。改變行為，就是應用同理心的開始。

資料來源：Harvard Business School 
(http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/how-to-negotiate-situations-that-feel-hopeless?cid=spmailing-12832718-WK%20Newsletter%2004--06-2016%20(1)-April%2006,%202016)

口語詞彙:

1. Angle for  謀取
原有「釣魚」的意思，引申為「用手段來謀取」。
John has been working harder than before since January, yet he says he is not angling for a raise in pay. 一月以來，約翰比以前更努力工作，但他說他並非想要加薪。 

2. Smooth sailing  一帆風順，進展順利
smooth 是指水面平靜無波，引申為「事情進展順利」。
The company had a hard time setting up the new computer system, but it’ll be smooth sailing from now on. 該公司建立新電腦系統時很辛苦，不過以後就會一帆風順了。