We negotiate all the time in both personal and professional capacities. To improve the outcomes and achieve our goals, it is vital to reflect on the process of negotiation and develop meaningful mindsets, strategies, and tools.
This practical, interactive course equips participants with the skills to successfully prepare, undertake, and conclude negotiations in formal and informal settings with government and non-government actors. The first two weeks set the stage by introducing the concept and principles of negotiation. The following two weeks go into greater detail regarding key skills supported by case studies and practical learning activities. The final two weeks of the course put these skills to practice in an online simulation exercise. Participants in this course will receive individual feedback and guidance from the course facilitator to help them develop their knowledge and skills.
Rather than going into the theoretical considerations of negotiation such as game theory or group decision-making theory, the course focuses on key skills that are valuable for a variety of negotiations.
The course also addresses questions around conducting negotiations online. With the spread of COVID-19, many negotiations had to move from the physical to the virtual world and in the process a plethora of additional considerations and challenges emerged. We address these in the course and as part of the online simulation exercise, which will include the use of various tools for online negotiation.
This course is relevant for diplomats, staff of international organisations, and also people working in fields of non-traditional diplomacy, such as education diplomacy, health diplomacy, Internet Governance, humanitarian diplomacy, and development diplomacy, which require the use of diplomatic skills to build bridges across sectors, diverse actors, and borders.
Lecturers
Ms Liz Galvez
Former Senior British Diplomat
Ms Liz Galvez was a senior diplomat with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, taking early retirement in 2006 with the rank of Counsellor. During her 33 year career, she served in a wide range of diplomatic jobs in London and several overseas postings, including Finland, Central America and Romania, and 12 years in multilateral diplomacy: UN Geneva, OSCE Vienna (1989-1993) and UN New York (2003-6). She was seconded to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001-2002 as adviser to the Foreign Minister on OSCE Chairmanship and NATO accession issues, institutional reform, and diplomatic training. She returned to Romania in 2006 to set up and manage the Aspen Institute Romania until 2009.
She has been a course lecturer with DiploFoundation since 2009, providing training in public diplomacy and multilateral negotiating skills, including a programme for the Asia-Europe Foundation for diplomats from European and Asian countries, and a dissertation supervisor for DiploFoundation/University of Malta Master in Contemporary Diplomacy students. She has run workshops on public diplomacy for the Foreign Ministry of Bahrain; the Foreign Ministry and Parliamentary staffers in South Africa; and the Diplomatic Academy of Armenia. In addition, she has co-facilitated a workshop on Conflict Resolution in Bahrain for Diplomatic Heads of Mission and given a short training programme in Geneva on Diplomatic Reporting in the Internet Era for diplomatic officers from several states. She has run training programmes on negotiating skills for the Foreign Ministry of Bahrain, and at the Italian School of National Administration for Italian new entrant diplomats, and on Diplomatic English writing and speaking skills for the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Moldova. She speaks operational Spanish, Romanian, and French. She has a BA from the University of London in Latin and Spanish and an MSc degree from the University of London in Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict, and has recently completed the DiploFoundation course on Internet Governance.
Dr Katharina Höne
Director of Research
Dr Katharina (Kat) E Höne researches, writes, and teaches on a number of issues in the area of diplomacy, global governance, and the impact of technology on international relations. Over the last years, she has focused on research at the intersection of diplomacy and technology. She was part of a research project on Data Diplomacy: Updating diplomacy to the big data era and the lead researcher and author of Mapping the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence for the conduct of diplomacy report, both supported by the Ministry for Foreign of Affairs of Finland. In addition, she has more than 10 years of experience in teaching international relations at universities in the UK and Germany, and in delivering in-situ, blended, and online training to diplomatic practitioners. Kat holds an MA in Diplomatic Studies (University of Leicester, UK) and a PhD in International Politics (University of Aberystwyth, UK). In her work, she is driven by her aim to level the playing field at international negotiation tables through capacity development, and to provide out-of-the-box thinking and inspiration by drawing on her passion for science-fiction.
We negotiate all the time in both personal and professional capacities. To improve the outcomes and achieve our goals, it is vital to reflect on the process of negotiation and develop meaningful mindsets, strategies, and tools.
This practical, interactive course equips participants with the skills to successfully prepare, undertake, and conclude negotiations in formal and informal settings with government and non-government actors. The first two weeks set the stage by introducing the concept and principles of negotiation. The following two weeks go into greater detail regarding key skills supported by case studies and practical learning activities. The final two weeks of the course put these skills to practice in an online simulation exercise. Participants in this course will receive individual feedback and guidance from the course facilitator to help them develop their knowledge and skills.
Rather than going into the theoretical considerations of negotiation such as game theory or group decision-making theory, the course focuses on key skills that are valuable for a variety of negotiations.
The course also addresses questions around conducting negotiations online. With the spread of COVID-19, many negotiations had to move from the physical to the virtual world and in the process a plethora of additional considerations and challenges emerged. We address these in the course and as part of the online simulation exercise, which will include the use of various tools for online negotiation.
This course is relevant for diplomats, staff of international organisations, and also people working in fields of non-traditional diplomacy, such as education diplomacy, health diplomacy, Internet Governance, humanitarian diplomacy, and development diplomacy, which require the use of diplomatic skills to build bridges across sectors, diverse actors, and borders.
Parts of the materials for this course were developed in partnership with the Center for Education Diplomacy (an initiative of Childhood Education International) in 2017.
By the end of this course, participants should be able to:
- Relate key negotiations skills and principles to their field of work.
- Describe the main stages of negotiation and the principles of successful negotiation, drawing on key literature on the subject.
- Explain the specific characteristics of principled negotiation.
- Improve skills related to the negotiation process such as problem analysis, reflection, intercultural communication, and intellectual flexibility.
- Suggest ways to deal with power imbalances in a negotiation situation.
- Understand the importance of empathy in negotiations.
- Explain and assess the possible influences of intercultural communication on negotiation situations.
- Describe various negotiation strategies, including framing and making concessions, and suggest how to make effective use of these in specific situations.
- Define their negotiation position by carefully analysing their interests, describing their ideal negotiated outcome, and defining their Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA).
- Understand how to facilitate compromise and find creative solutions for situations in which negotiation positions appear to be locked.
- Achieve negotiated outcomes through mutual gain, conflict resolution, and consensus building.
- Have greater awareness of their own negotiation style and their reactions to opposing positions and interests.
Course outline
Week 1. Course introduction and orientation to online learning; assessment of individual experience in negotiation activities.
Week 2. Basics I: Types and stages of negotiation
Week 3. Basics II: The role of power and empathy in negotiation
Week 4. Key skills I: Language, creativity, and navigating the space between ‘yes’ and ‘no’
Week 5. Key skills II: Framing, managing processes, concessions, packaging, follow-up
Weeks 6 and 7. Simulation exercise
Week 8. Final assignment (written reflections - up to 1000 words)
The course is aimed at participants from government and non-government sectors engaged or interested in various fields of diplomacy. Applications from relevant government ministries, the business sector, and civil society will be welcome.
The following groups may find the course particularly relevant:
- Diplomats
- Officials from relevant government ministries
- Staff of international organisations and NGOs, civil society, and the private sector working on or interested in relevant issues including education, Internet governance, health, humanitarian issues, etc.
- Graduate students interested in international affairs, international development, education, human rights, and other relevant issues
- Other stakeholders interested in learning about international issues that require the workings of non-traditional forms of diplomacy
This course is conducted entirely online over a period of eight weeks. Reading materials and tools for online interaction are provided through an online classroom. Course materials present the theory and principles of negotiation, using illustrative examples and small case studies. Each week, during weeks 2 to 5, participants read the provided lecture text, adding questions, comments and references in the form of hypertext entries. The course facilitator and other participants read and respond to these entries, creating interaction based on the lecture text. At the end of the week, participants and facilitators meet online in a chat room to discuss the week’s topic. Courses are based on a collaborative approach to learning, involving a high level of interaction.
Each week, from weeks 2 to 5, participants complete a short exercise to get them thinking and working with some of the key ideas from the week, using everyday scenarios or problems. Some of the weekly exercises may involve working in pairs or small groups. Weeks 6 and 7 of the course are dedicated to an interactive simulation exercise, providing participants with the opportunity to put course learning into practice. Participants in this course will receive individual feedback and guidance from the course facilitator to help them develop their knowledge and skills.
This course requires a minimum of five to seven hours of study time per week.
Applicants for this course must have:
- An undergraduate university degree OR three years of relevant work experience.
- Sufficient ability in the English language to undertake postgraduate level studies (including reading academic texts, discussing complex concepts with other course participants, and submitting written essay assignments of up to 2500 words in length).
- Regular access to the Internet (dial-up connection is sufficient, although broadband is preferable).
The course fee is €700 per participant, due upon acceptance into the course.
Discounts
Alumni members are eligible for a 15% discount on course fees.
Discounts are available for more than one participant from the same institution.
Financial assistance
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for diplomats and others working in international relations from small and developing countries, through support from the Government of Malta.
To apply for a scholarship please upload your CV and a motivation letter with your application. The motivation letter should include:
- Details of your relevant professional and educational background.
- Reasons for your interest in the course.
- Why you feel you should have the opportunity to participate in this course: how will your participation benefit you, your institution and/or your country?
As Diplo's ability to offer scholarship support is limited, candidates are strongly encouraged to seek scholarship funding directly from local or international institutions.
Please fill out the online application form.
If you are applying for financial assistance, please upload your CV and a motivation letter with your application. The motivation letter should include:
- Details of your relevant professional and educational background.
- Reasons for your interest in the course.
- Why you feel you should have the opportunity to participate in this course: how will your participation benefit you, your institution and/or your country?
Please note that financial assistance from DiploFoundation is available only to applicants from developing countries. Late applications will be considered if there are spaces available in the course.
Cancellation Policy
Diplo reserves the right to cancel this course if enrolment is insufficient. In case of cancellation, Diplo will notify applicants shortly after the application deadline. Applicants who have paid an application fee may apply this fee towards another course or receive a refund.
One of the focus areas of the course which I appreciated very much is the power of reframing as a very productive tool to shift or re-adjust a non-working strategy.
From the negotiation skills course, I learnt that everyone is a negotiator at one time or another. However, when one engages in diplomacy to advance education, health, Internet governance and other sectors, distinctive types of negotiations as well as certain specifics must be adhered to for the process to be successful. This course helps in understanding these specifics.
It was my first time studying about negotiations and the course really provided the main concepts and a solid foundation. Each unit is very well structured and they contain very interesting reading suggestions to deepen learning into each topic. I really enjoyed the Negotiation Skills course.