268: How Can Top Corporate Leaders Use Negotiation to Drive Unstoppable Success? Unlocking Secrets with Kwame Christian
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
Release Date: 12/11/2024
270: Lessons, Laughs & Leadership: improve it! Podcast Year in Review
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
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269: What Are the Most Effective Ways to Navigate Difficult Conversations at Work? A Conversation with Justin Jones-Fosu
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
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268: How Can Top Corporate Leaders Use Negotiation to Drive Unstoppable Success? Unlocking Secrets with Kwame Christian
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
Did you know that you negotiate every single day—and not just in boardrooms or sales meetings? From discussing PTO with your boss to deciding dinner plans with your partner, negotiation is everywhere. But how often do we approach these conversations with strategy and confidence? In this episode of the Improve It! Podcast, Erin uncovers the secrets to navigating everyday negotiations with expert Kwame Christian. Kwame Christian is a renowned negotiation expert, speaker, and author, with years of experience helping individuals and organizations navigate difficult conversations with confidence....
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267: Warning: This Vision Setting Strategy Might Actually Work!
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
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266: What Does It Take for Women to Gain Respect, Power, and Influence in the Workplace? Alison Fragale Spills the Tea
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
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265: Breath Control for Better Decision-Making: A Conversation with Samantha Skelly
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
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264: Want an Easy Five Minute Gratitude Practice You Can Implement Today? We’ve Got Your Back!
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
What if five minutes could change everything about how you lead, connect, and thrive? In today's episode, I reveal the powerful daily gratitude practice that shifted my mindset from scarcity to abundance—fueling not only my own growth, but transforming my team dynamics and leadership resilience. If you’re ready for a simple, impactful habit to elevate your life and work, this post is for you! Here’s a quick look at how gratitude can revolutionize your life and leadership, just as it did for me. 1. Gratitude Enhances Mental and Emotional Well-Being Gratitude has profound effects on mental...
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263: How Do You Balance the Holiday Season While Prioritizing Self Care?
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
If you don’t take the time for yourself, the time will take itself and go elsewhere. Sound familiar, especially during the holidays? Yup, you’re not the only one. In today’s episode, Erin shares her 4-step strategy for finding balance between giving to yourself and giving to others during the holiday season. Erin also shares: What a “Bliss List” is and why you need to make one Why you should start making connections between the times you get sick to what’s going on in your personal and professional lives How to give yourself rewards (and actually schedule them) that contribute to...
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262: Job Hunting Got You Drained AF? Steal These Top Strategies for Avoiding Burnout with Daisy Auger-Dominguez
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
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261: Empowering Inclusion While Battling Isolation At Work? Here's How to Cope
improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning
When you're building inclusion for those around you at work, but you yourself are not feeling included, what do you do about that? This question from a listener really begs us to consider what’s within the locus of our control vs. what's not when it comes to inclusion at work. In response to this Q, Erin gives you 5 ways to go from excluded by others to including yourself and 5 ways to cope if leadership is excluding you, not necessarily your team/coworkers. Erin also shares: How to take situations that hurt your feelings and transform them into opportunities for empathy Why changing your...
info_outlineDid you know that you negotiate every single day—and not just in boardrooms or sales meetings?
From discussing PTO with your boss to deciding dinner plans with your partner, negotiation is everywhere.
But how often do we approach these conversations with strategy and confidence?
In this episode of the Improve It! Podcast, Erin uncovers the secrets to navigating everyday negotiations with expert Kwame Christian.
Kwame Christian is a renowned negotiation expert, speaker, and author, with years of experience helping individuals and organizations navigate difficult conversations with confidence.
He is the Director of the American Negotiation Institute and the author of the acclaimed book Finding Confidence in Conflict.
Here are 5 of our favorite takeaways from the conversation:
1. Negotiation Is Everywhere
Kwame challenges listeners to recognize that negotiation happens far beyond formal boardroom settings. Whether asking for time off, resolving workplace conflicts, or navigating personal relationships, we negotiate daily. Becoming aware of these moments is the first step toward mastering them.
P.S. - If you’re interested in learning more about negotiation from top experts in the field, try this episode on for size: Episode 231: Ready to Negotiate Like a Pro in High-Stake Conversations? Tune in with FBI Insider Chris Voss
2. The Compassionate Curiosity Framework
Kwame introduces a simple yet effective three-step method for approaching challenging conversations:
1. Acknowledge and Validate Emotions: Lower emotional tension by recognizing the other person’s feelings.
2. Get Curious with Compassion: Ask open-ended questions to build trust and gather information.
3. Joint Problem Solving: Collaborate to find mutually beneficial solutions.
3. Emotion Management is Key
During the role-play, Kwame demonstrated how validating emotions helps de-escalate tension and fosters a more productive dialogue. For example, he acknowledged Erin’s hypothetical frustrations about PTO limits, which set the stage for a constructive discussion.
4. Curiosity Builds Trust
By asking open-ended questions with genuine curiosity, you gain valuable insights and strengthen relationships. Kwame’s approach emphasized the importance of tone and empathy to keep conversations on track and uncover win-win opportunities.
5. Practice Makes Perfect
Role-playing challenging scenarios, as Erin and Kwame did, is a practical way to build confidence and refine your negotiation skills. Kwame’s advice? Push yourself to handle even the most unreasonable counterpart with calmness and clarity.
Conclusion
This episode is a masterclass in handling difficult conversations with grace and effectiveness. Kwame Christian’s Compassionate Curiosity framework is a game-changer for anyone looking to improve their negotiation skills, whether at work or home.
If you loved this episode and know someone who might benefit from it, please share it by copying the link and sending them a quick text/email. Sharing is caring!
No, You Hang Up First (Let’s Keep Connecting)
- Did today’s episode resonate with you? Leave us a review sharing your favorite insight from Kwame and we’ll send you a free signed copy of I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
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Show Links
- Purchase I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy here and the Resource Guidebook that was built in conjunction with it here.
Connect with Kwame Christian
- Kwame’s company website
- Kwame’s LinkedIn
- Kwame’s podcast: Negotiate Anything
- Kwame’s books: How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race: Practical Tools for Necessary Change in the Workplace and Beyond & Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life
Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it!