“Sunday Negotiation Insight”
“Don’t ignore your intuition. It’s your silent partner attempting to add more meaning and value to your life.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert
“Intuition – What Signs Are You Ignoring”
I had just entered the bank when I began to experience pulsating-like images flickering across my subconsciousness. I later realized that they were attempting to connect to my state of consciousness.
I sensed something wasn’t right but I ignored one sign after another. There was the blaring music molesting the environment that came from a parked car near the front entrance of the bank; it was music associated with a group of people that tended to be anti-establishment. I observed a man pounding the steering wheel of the car as he kept time to the beat of the music. Inside the bank, there was a man that appeared to be confused about how to fill out a deposit slip. Then it happened!
A man burst into the bank while screaming, “everybody on the floor!” He stood about ten feet from me. I looked at the finger he’d pointed towards the ceiling to assess the type of weapon he was holding. I saw none. I scanned his other hand and saw nothing there, either. Then, I recalled the absentminded man that appeared to be filling out the deposit slip; he was slightly behind me and I couldn’t see what he was doing. Just as I was about to rush the idiot that made the exclamation, he started laughing and said, “I was just joking.” With that, the perceived crisis abated. Upon reflection, I realized that I’d ignored several intuition warning signs that I should have been more attentive to.
What intuitive signs do you ignore when you’re engaged in your daily activities? When we have ‘a feeling’, an ‘I had a sense that something wasn’t right’ moment, such sensations should not be ignored.
Intuition stems from us sensing our environment subliminally. Most of the sensations we experience never connect to our state of consciousness. It’s not until the sensation is strong enough to shake our consciousness into an awakened state do we become aware of its existence.
Here’s the point. The more aware you are about the sensations that are strong enough to tug at your consciousness, the more prepared you’ll be to deal with situations that impact your life … and everything will be right with the world.
What does this have to do with negotiations?
During a negotiation, you’re bombarded by sensations. You may glimpse a gesture that doesn’t register in your stream of consciousness that alters your perspective of the other negotiator. If you’re not aware of why you made such a shift, altering your perspective could be detrimental to the negotiation process.
Suffice it to say, always be mindful of the state of mind that you occupy in a negotiation. Once you identify the source of your thinking you’ll be more purposeful throughout the negotiation. To accomplish that, don’t ignore your intuition. It’s your silent partner assisting you at the negotiation table.
What are your takeaways? I’d really like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com
Remember, you’re always negotiating!