The free negotiation trainings are designed to help small-business owners and entrepreneurs develop the skills necessary to discover optimal solutions to problems faced in negotiations and to find the best means to implement those solutions.

The first training session offers an introduction to negotiation, followed by trainings for more specific negotiation situations held throughout August and September.

Each of the hour-long trainings will be followed by a Q&A session so business owners can ask questions and learn more about appropriate negotiation tactics.

We would like to thank our wonderful volunteer translators without whom this project would not have been possible. Special thanks to: Michelle Brown, Marcela Calderon-Vodall, Kelly Fan, Abby Jiang, Laura Kirk, Lina, Li, Huong Nguyen, Han Shen, and Kristina Wang.


Introduction to Negotiations

Supplemental Materials

Pre-Negotiation Plan Template

Q&A: Introduction to Negotiations

  • Why we need negotiations training

    People typically don’t have a good understanding of what it means to negotiate, despite the fact that we do it every single day. In this video, we'll define negotiation, and explore a few reasons why you're probably not as good at it as you think you are.

    • Watch "Why we need negotiations training" (temporarily unavailable)
  • Planning for a negotiation

    This video explains three important concepts in negotiation: Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA), Reservation Point, and Target. Understanding these three concepts is fundamental to preparing a systematic plan for effective negotiations.

  • Job Negotiation Tips

    Below are two videos to help provide some information about job negotiations. Although every job negotiation is a bit different, I’ve provided some issues to consider as you prepare for these potentially anxiety-producing negotiations.

    Part 1

    Part 2


Single-Issue Negotiations

Supplemental Materials

Supplemental Videos: Single-Issue Negotiations

  • Making Concessions

    Concessions are made when you give up or reduce your negotiation outcome(s) in order to appease the other side to facilitate a negotiated agreement. As concessions are extremely likely within any negotiation, it is important to understand how and when to make concessions.

    • Watch "Making Concessions" (temporarily unavailable)
  • Fairness and the Other Side

    It is important to frame the offer, why it’s fair, and also recognize that the other party might have a different perception of fairness and be amenable to that. In this video, we’ll explore different conceptualizations of fairness in the context of negotiations.

    • Watch "Fairness and the Other Side" (temporarily unavailable)

Negotiations with Multiple Issues

Supplemental Materials


Influence Tactics and Advanced Negotiation Strategies

Supplemental Materials


Multiparty Negotiations

Supplemental Materials


USPTO Workshops

Overview of Intellectual Property

Demystifying the Patent Process