Week 14

In today’s class, I learned about the extension of the fourth phase of negotiation which is reaching consensus. In negotiation, reaching consensus is somewhat like the real closure of a negotiation process where all the negotiations that both parties have gone through would lead to their building on an agreement. I understand that this is when a favorable result would most certainly lean more towards the party that works harder because after all, the effort won't betray you. 

However, though the negotiation should have helped them enough to convince on what they should agree on, this phase has just proven that the both parties are more definitely anxious to agree than disagree. This is the exact time both should reflect on the overall negotiation if the current outcome was possibly closed to reaching their interests, whilst also thinking of whether the other party would think of the same thing.  Well, I might be ignorant but these small things that both should have considered are totally worth it because it is all to avoid anything that will complicate things later on.  

Since people are not the same, the idea of consensus would surely be different to one another. Sometimes, not every good outcome would satisfy everyone, and that’s the same thing with negotiation. Even though we should reflect on ourselves throughout the process as well as thinking of the other party, we also need to remind ourselves that if it’s for the best, then reaching consensus wouldn't be necessary for both parties to feel satisfied. Everything will be fine as long as the negotiation has met its closing and commitment for both sides. 

With that, it marked our last class of negotiation.

Today’s lecture was really short and sweet. I guess that signalled our last day and a ‘bid farewell’  to our dearest lecturer of the semester, Madam Siti Haslina.