6 tips negotiation pros swear by
Plus: 🎤 a pop chart record 👀 'development-watching' 🥹 hack your feelings
January tends to be that time of year when we sharpen our focus on what we want - and how we can get it.
Aims like going to the gym or eating more healthily often depend on our own motivation. But for the goals that involve bringing other people along with us, negotiation is key.
We’ve stocked up on top tips from Amy Combrinck, who has interviewed seasoned negotiators across different industries, from Google to HarperCollins and ITV. Get them below.
Speaking of negotiators, our founder Edwina Dunn was once nicknamed “Le Bulldozer” by French retailers, as her interview yesterday in The Times recalled.
In this issue of Take The Lead, the fortnightly newsletter from The Female Lead, we’re also learning about why working from home could mean missing out on “development watching”, how estrogen levels might affect binge drinking, and talking to actress Kerry Washington.
Wishing you a very happy new year, and a successful and fulfilled 2025.
The Female Lead Team
We’re talking about…
🎶 2024 was a record-breaking year for female artists on the British pop music charts, from Taylor Swift to Charli XCX, according to new stats. Women topped the singles chart for an unprecedented 34 weeks - the highest ever figure.
🍷 Estrogen levels may affect binge drinking in women, research on mice suggests. When levels of the hormone are higher, it could cause the consumption of “large amounts of alcohol in their first half an hour of drinking”.
⛰️ More women are keen on solo travel for 2025 compared to a year ago, according to a survey of 4,000 Americans. 40% said they’d be happy to jet off by themselves, compared to 32% the previous year.
🏠 Women who regularly work from home could miss out on promotion opportunities due to lower visibility, the boss of the world’s biggest building society has said, noting that “development-watching”— learning from leaders up-close — is key.
🎥 The number of films directed by women and people of colour plateaued in 2024, a study looking at the top-grossing movies has found. Just 13% of directors were women, only a slight rise from 12%.
🥊 More girls than ever are dreaming of reaching the top level in sport, yet they are less supported to take part, according to Women in Sport. It said teenage girls have "a lot of confidence issues" that deter them from playing sport.
Inspire me…
“I think it’s really important that we see protagonists and heroes that look like us, because it reminds us that we can do it. But I also think that it’s equally important that we see protagonists that don’t look like us.“
Kerry Washington speaking to The Female Lead
I’ve interviewed negotiation experts around the world. Here are their secrets.
By Amy Combrinck, negotiation expert, coach and speaker
Negotiation doesn’t have to be intimidating. It’s not just about striking deals; it’s about building confidence, advocating for yourself and shaping the life you want.
Whether it’s a salary increase, flexible working arrangements or major life decisions like buying a house, it’s a basic survival skill for life’s complexities.
I’ve interviewed seasoned negotiators from various industries for my podcast, Negotiation Illuminators.
Here are the tips they swear by.
Toolbox: Hack into your emotions
From Jennifer Cox, psychotherapist and author
🤔 Why: You’d be surprised how so many of us struggle to identify our most basic feelings, let alone use them as the prosocial tools they’re intended to be. Emotions help us read a room, make decisions and navigate social and professional problems. Schools are now beginning to understand the importance of identifying and labelling our feelings, but most adults have missed out on this. This can all sound simplistic, but it helps.
🔧 How:
Keep your body regulated through the 123/321 breathing technique, a way of centring on your breathing quickly and easily
Carry out mini body scans throughout the day. Starting with your toes, move up your body, noticing where you’re storing tension or discomfort
Practise a kind of running commentary on your emotions, labelling them to yourself
Notice which people/situations trigger which emotional experiences
Begin to use ‘I feel’ statements, which allow you to share these emotional findings to help navigate you through life
Final thought
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Don’t mind me, just saving this post so I can take it to my MBA negotiations class with me and be a little more prepared