We spend most of our days communicating with others. Whether you are a stay-at-home parent, an Uber driver, working a corporate job – we fill our days communicating and negotiating.
We relate to others, listen (or not), and are continually processing information that allows us to develop and improve our own unique art of communicating with others.
You might also say that every moment of the day we are selling.
Think about it.
You want to go out to a specific restaurant. How do you approach that conversation with your partner or friends? You know how to convey information or sell a story to get what you want at the end.
My five-year-old son is a master at negotiating to get what he wants. And, likewise, I know how to counter back with options to land a deal that works for us both.
We have learned how to sell or broker deals at work. We learn what matters most to people and what pisses them off. Sometimes we don’t have a choice in the matter, we have to say the hard things.
Often, though, we are communicating based on what other people want or what we think they want. There is a delicate balance between our own needs and pleasing others.
So, the question is: How often are you negotiating or making the best deal for yourself about what you want? Do you even know what you want?
I’ll tell you… of all the communicating I do all day, negotiating with my kid is often the hardest conversation of the day by far.
