03/03/2023
By Jason Carter
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Coburn Hall, Room 245
Many people believe that negotiation is a battle, pitting one or more sides against each other. Carl Hobert, author of Raising Global IQ: Preparing Our Students for a Shrinking Planet (Beacon Press) disagrees. He sees negotiation as a collaborative we, not a me vs. you exercise that must be rooted in effective communication, comprehension, collaboration, creativity and compromise, rather than being overwhelmed by pre-conceived notions, disagreement, anger, and rivalry. He believes that learning to walk in the shoes of others, in order to understand more effectively how all sides are thinking at the negotiation table, is essential to being a successful negotiator. He calls this tactical empathy, and he will speak about how he teaches this using live, case study-based role play simulation exercises, that teach students how to negotiate well by taking part in negotiations, instead of simply studying them. Hobert will also discuss the importance of being an active listener, the invaluable negotiating tool of separating the people at the table from the problems being negotiated, and how all sides in a negotiation can achieve mutual gains, all skills that can be applied every day in anyone's professional and personal lives.
Carl Hobart is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy