Just because your company is cutting costs does not mean that you should cut down on team building and training activities as well. We could all use an occasional low-cost team building activity to lift the team’s spirits—and have the team polish their communication, persuasion and negotiation skills in the process.
Divide your team into groups and have them negotiate something—a mobile phone contract, flat screen television, letterhead printing and so on. Each group must negotiate for the same product personally and using one other communication medium (e-mail only, phone only, Twitter only, online chat only, etc.). The first group to negotiate the lowest price wins.
Have each group come up with a strategy and then execute it. Schedule a debriefing session to capture what they have learned and which techniques they can use at work immediately.
Connect with Dr. John A. Estrella via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Tags: communication, negotiation, persuasion, skills