5 mental errors

If you are going to face an angry public, there are several things that you need to know :

First, if your interlocutor is angry, you need to let him express his discontent. This way, he will feel considered and understood. Indeed, it’s important to understand why your interlocutor is angry and to make an apology. Moreover, if you are wrong, it will show him that you face your responsibility and you are ready to listen to what he has to said and to admit your mistakes.

In order not to break all the trust you built, you always have to be loyal and be trustworthy. This way you will be able to build a long-term relationship and your interlocutor will be more pleasant to make concessions if you ask for it. Indeed, because you have been making efforts, the other part could do so when you really need it.

There are also some « mental errors » you need to avoid during a negotiation process.

The first mistake you can make is to suffer from irrational « escalation ». It means that even if you have a good strategy if it is deprived of any logic, it will produce harmful consequences. For instance, if you pay too much for something just in order to get it, it is not a good move since you don't have any money left. Thus, you have to be rational and objective and you need to set clear boundaries in order to make a conscious choice.

Another mistake that you can make is to have a « partisan perception », that is to say thinking that your interlocutor has the same point of view as yours. The solution to avoid this is either try to put yourself in the shoes of your interlocutor or make some hypothesis about the issues of the situation. 

The third mental error you can make is to have « irrational perceptions » about what could happen during the negotiation. If you are excepting too important things, you won’t make any deal with your interlocutor. Thus, you need to communicate with your interlocutor and listen to what he has to said. This is the only way to see if what you ask is too much or not.

Moreover, being too confident can lead the negotiation to failure. It means that you are going to overestimate your chance to win, but this way you miss some opportunities. Thus you need to be more objective to avoid being overconfident.

And finally, what you need to avoid is « unchecked emotions ». You need to control your emotions during a negotiation because if you let your emotions take the control of your negotiation, you won’t be able to get focused on your goal and you will take unconscious decisions. In order not to be influenced by its emotions, you can ensure you the negotiation takes place in a quiet and calm place and to take a break during the negotiation if you need it.