Negotiation Skills Training
Build the skills to negotiate effectively and influence outcomes in high-stakes business discussions
About Our Negotiation Skills Training
Negotiation skills training helps professionals navigate business discussions, stakeholder conversations, and high-pressure negotiations more effectively. In modern organizations, negotiation skills are essential for influencing outcomes, managing competing priorities, building alignment, and reaching productive agreements across teams, clients, partners, and stakeholders.
Many professionals negotiate regularly without formal negotiation training. As pressure increases, discussions can become reactive, positional, or overly focused on defending viewpoints instead of understanding interests, managing dynamics, and guiding conversations toward better outcomes.
Participants develop practical skills to:
- Prepare for negotiations more strategically
- Improve influence and negotiation effectiveness
- Navigate difficult negotiation conversations professionally
- Manage pressure and emotional dynamics during negotiations
- Build alignment and strengthen stakeholder relationships
- Communicate more clearly and confidently during negotiations
- Recognize negotiation dynamics and competing interests
- Reach more productive and mutually beneficial outcomes
With more than 25 years of experience, Commanding Presence delivers practical, coach-led negotiation skills training for professionals, managers, leaders, and teams across corporate, government, academic, and professional environments. Training is available onsite or virtually in 1–2 hour, half-day, one-day, and two-day workshop formats.
This training is part of our broader Communication Skills Training offerings focused on helping professionals navigate real-world workplace conversations and challenging business interactions more effectively. We also have Presentation Skills Training offerings for corporate groups or individuals.
What is Negotiation Skills Training?
Negotiation skills training helps professionals improve how they prepare for, navigate, and manage business negotiations and high-stakes discussions. The training focuses on influence, negotiation strategy, stakeholder alignment, communication during negotiations, and reaching productive agreements in professional environments.
At Commanding Presence, our negotiation skills training uses practical exercises, real-world negotiation scenarios, and guided coaching to help professionals negotiate with greater confidence, clarity, professionalism, and strategic awareness.
Negotiation Skills Training for High-Value, Long-Term Outcomes
Who Negotiation Skills Training Is For
Negotiation skills training is designed for professionals who regularly navigate business discussions where outcomes, priorities, agreements, and stakeholder interests must be managed effectively. The training is particularly valuable for professionals who need to influence decisions, align competing interests, and negotiate professionally in workplace and client-facing environments.
This training is ideal for:
- Managers and department leaders
- Sales and business development professionals
- Procurement and purchasing teams
- Account managers and client-facing professionals
- Consultants and advisors
- Project managers and operations teams
- HR professionals and people managers
- Executives and stakeholder-facing leaders
- Cross-functional teams and subject matter experts
Professionals involved in budgeting discussions, project planning, stakeholder alignment, vendor negotiations, and internal decision-making situations can also benefit from developing stronger negotiation skills to improve outcomes, reduce friction, and strengthen professional relationships.
Our Negotiation Training Outline and Formats
Our negotiation skills training is available in a variety of flexible formats designed to support different organizational goals, schedules, team sizes, and workplace environments. Training can be delivered onsite or virtually across Canada and customized to address the specific negotiation challenges, stakeholder dynamics, and business situations relevant to your team.
Available Formats
- 1–2 Hour Sessions
- Half-Day Workshops
- One-Day Workshops
- Two-Day Workshops
Each format combines practical instruction, real-world negotiation scenarios, guided discussion, and coach-led exercises to help professionals apply negotiation strategies more effectively in workplace and business situations.
Example Negotiation Training Structure
While our negotiation skills training can be delivered in shorter sessions, half-day workshops, and customized programs, the example below outlines what a more comprehensive two-day negotiation workshop may include.
Each program is tailored to the specific negotiation situations, stakeholder dynamics, experience levels, and organizational goals relevant to the group. At no additional cost, we customize the agenda, exercises, discussion topics, and negotiation scenarios to ensure the training is practical, relevant, and aligned with your organization’s real-world business environment.
Day One
- 8:30 AM: Introduction and Purposes – Exercise and Group Discussion
- 10:00 AM: Assumptions and Paradigms – Interactive Exercise and Debrief
- 12:30 PM: Lunch
- 1:30 PM: Defining Success in Negotiation – Exercise
- 2:15 PM: The Contract Negotiation – Structured Preparation Session, One-on-One Role-Play, and Debrief
- 4:15 PM: Key Lessons and New Questions
- 4:30 PM: End of Day One
Day Two
- 10:00 AM: The Partnership Dispute – Two-on-Two Role-Play
- 12:30 PM: Lunch
- 1:30 PM: Application to ‘Live’ Negotiations
- 2:30 PM: Dealing with Difficult Negotiators – Exercise and Role Play
- 4:00 PM: Putting It All Together – Going Forward and Personal Action Plans
- 4:30 PM: End of Workshop
Common Negotiation Challenges We Frequently See
One challenge we frequently see is that many professionals enter negotiations focused primarily on defending positions or winning points instead of understanding interests, managing dynamics, and building alignment toward productive outcomes.
We also frequently see professionals become reactive under pressure, causing discussions to become more positional, emotionally charged, or less collaborative than intended.
Negotiation Skills Coach
Your Negotiation Skills coach is Peter Hiddema. Since 2000, Peter has leveraged the Harvard Negotiation Project methodology to teach executives from Global 1000 companies the negotiation skills they need to successfully drive business performance for their organizations. He has empowered his clients to elevate business performance successfully for their organisations.
Internationally recognized as an expert in strategic negotiation, conflict resolution and leadership development, Peter has lectured for students and corporate leaders at several universities including Queen’s University (in Canada and the UK), HEC at L’Université de Montréal, INSEAD (France) and Harvard University.
In the past 2 years alone, he has advised on transactions totaling more than US$2 billion.
Request a Quote
To get a quick quote on our Negotiation Skills Training, please make sure to include details such as group size, desired format, location if in-person, and if you know it, a timeframe for the training.
Our Recent Clients
Frequently Asked Questions
This training is designed for professionals who need to influence outcomes, manage discussions, and reach agreements. It’s especially valuable for managers, sales professionals, procurement teams, and anyone involved in high-stakes or day-to-day negotiations.
We focus on real-world business negotiations, including internal discussions, client negotiations, and cross-functional decision-making. The training is built around the types of negotiation situations participants deal with regularly, not theoretical examples.
Participants learn how to prepare effectively, structure their approach, and apply proven negotiation frameworks. We focus on asking the right questions, managing objections, handling difficult counterparts, and working toward stronger, more strategic outcomes.
The training is delivered in person or virtually in an instructor-led format. Sessions are interactive and include practical exercises, structured scenarios, and opportunities to apply negotiation techniques in real time.
Yes. We tailor the training based on your team’s goals, the types of negotiations they handle, and the outcomes you’re looking to achieve. This ensures the training is directly relevant to your business.
Yes. A significant portion of the training is dedicated to practice. Participants work through structured negotiation scenarios, role plays, and exercises, then receive detailed feedback on their approach. This is where most of the improvement happens.
Yes. While the training is delivered in a group format, each participant receives targeted feedback on how they prepare for and manage negotiations, not just general guidance.
Organizations typically see more effective negotiations, better preparation, and stronger outcomes. Individuals become more confident, more structured in their approach, and more consistent in how they handle negotiation situations.
No. While sales teams benefit, negotiation is a core skill across many roles. This training is relevant for anyone who needs to influence decisions, manage priorities, or reach agreements in their work.
Most participants see immediate improvement in how they approach and structure negotiations. Lasting results come from applying the frameworks and techniques consistently in real situations after the training.
Our focus is on practical skill development, not just theory. Participants actively work through negotiation scenarios, apply structured frameworks, and receive feedback in real time. The combination of hands-on practice and a clear, repeatable approach is what drives lasting improvement.
The first step is a conversation. We’ll discuss your goals, your team, and the types of negotiations you want to improve, then recommend an approach that fits your needs. Contact us now
Negotiation Skills Resources
How Negotiation Skills Training Improves Sales Performance, Deal Control, and Sales Efficiency
Negotiation influences sales performance far earlier than the final discussion about pricing, concessions, or contract terms. It shapes expectations, value
Negotiation Skills for Virtual and Hybrid Workplaces
Hybrid and virtual work have changed where and how negotiations happen. Conversations once held mainly in conference rooms now take
Why Negotiation Skills Are a Core Leadership Competency
Managing priorities, timelines, resources, stakeholder expectations, and cross-functional alignment directly affects organizational efficiency and execution. Many leaders are expected to
Why Managers Need Negotiation Skills
Managers negotiate daily through conversations about priorities, workloads, timelines, resources, accountability, and stakeholder expectations. These discussions directly affect how efficiently