10 Books to Help Build Your Negotiation Skills While Social Distancing

We are faced with a challenging and uncertain time where many of us are juggling between job responsibilities and caring for loved ones. As we find our daily lives transformed, it is easy to shirk long-term goals to care for the sudden needs amidst the current crisis. Despite the ongoing situation, we should look for opportunities and focus on the positive. For those fortunate enough to spend the coming weeks social-distancing to avoid further spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), we’ve put together a list of books you can wisely incorporate into your free time to try and stay motivated and productive.

While the idea and act of negotiation is intimidating, allow these books to give you the confidence to enter important business deals or difficult conversations with fortitude. This is a skill that takes practice and exercise to execute, but with the insight and advice from these ten books, you are sure to become a better negotiator in no time.

From all of us at WIN, we hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy in a time of uncertainty and chaos. In the meantime, stay safe and keep washing your hands!

Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly By Mori Taheripour

Taheripour, a WIN Summit 2020 Speaker, and fearless negotiator offers a radically different perspective in her new book. In her own life, and in her more than 15 years of experience teaching negotiation, she's found that the best negotiators are empathetic, curious, and present. The essence of bargaining isn't the transaction, but the conversation and human connection. It is when we bring our whole, authentic selves to the table that we can advocate for ourselves fearlessly and find creative solutions that benefit everyone.With eye-opening and empowering stories throughout, Bring Yourself helps readers gain the confidence they need to achieve their goals in work and in life.

Order her book here!

Negotiating at Work: Turn Small Wins Into Big Gains, by Deborah M. Kolb with Jessica L. Porter. 

Negotiating at Work offers practical advice for managing your own workplace negotiations: how to get opportunities, promotions, flexibility, buy-in, support, and credit for your work. It does so within the context of organizational dynamics, recognizing that to negotiate with someone who has more power adds a level of complexity. This is true when we negotiate with our superiors, and also true for individuals currently under represented in senior leadership roles, whose managers may not recognize certain issues as barriers or obstacles.

A Woman’s Guide to Successful Negotiating By Lee E. Miller with Jessica Miller 

Discover the three keys to negotiating success for women. Understand the 10 most common mistakes that women make and how to avoid them. Learn from women such as CEO of Avon Andrea Jung, Chairman of Hearst Magazines Cathie Black, Emmy- winning actress Christine Baranski, and television anchor Alexis Glick how to get what you deserve in every aspect of your life, whether it is earning more money, buying your next car, or just getting your husband to help around the house.

Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation and Positive Strategies for Change, by Linda Babcock.

Women Don’t Ask combines fascinating research with revealing commentary from hundreds of women. It explores the personal and societal reasons women seldom ask for what they need, want, and deserve at home and at work-and how they can develop this crucial skill. While offering real-life examples of the differences between the negotiating habits of men and women, it guides women in retooling their attitudes and approaches.

Ask For It: How Women Can Use The Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want By Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever

Whether it’s a raise, that overdue promotion, an exciting new assignment, or even extra help around the house, this four-phase program, backed by years of research and practical success, will show you how to recognize how much more you really deserve, maximize your bargaining power, develop the best strategy for your situation, and manage the reactions and emotions that may arise—on both sides. Guided step-by-step, you’ll learn how to draw on your special strengths to reach agreements that benefit everyone involved. This collaborative, problem-solving approach will propel you to new places both professionally and personally—and open doors you thought were closed.

Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture that Brings out the Best in People, by Donna Hicks

This landmark book from an expert in dignity studies explores the essential but under-recognized role of dignity as part of good leadership.  Brimming with key research findings, real-life case studies, and workable recommendations, this book fills an important gap in our understanding of how best to be together in a conflict-ridden world.

The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance - What Women Should Know, by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman.

Working women today are better educated and more well qualified than ever before. Yet men still predominate in the corporate world. In The Confidence Code, Claire Shipman and Katty Kay argue that the key reason is confidence. It provides an informative and practical guide to understanding the importance of confidence-and learning how to achieve it-for women of all ages and at all stages of their careers.

Lean In: Women, Work and The Will to Lead By Sheryl Sandberg

Lean In continues that conversation, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career. She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment, and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home.

25 Negotiating Strategies of Highly Successful Women By Natalie Disque 

Improving your negotiation skills is an essential part of making sure you can achieve everything you have worked so hard for in your career. Many women face similar problems when it comes to negotiating. However, women also have similar advantages that men are less likely to have. In this book, you will get a total of 25 practical strategies that you can use to become a better negotiator. By using them, you will be able to get what you deserve and be more persuasive in general.

The Only Negotiation Book You'll Ever Need : Find the Negotiation Style That's Right for You, Avoid Common Pitfalls, Maintain Composure During High-Pressure Negotiations, and Negotiate Any Deal - Without Giving In By Angelique Pinet and Peter Sander

In today's fast-paced business environment, where a single e-mail exchange can make or break your career, it's important that you know how to clearly and effectively discuss an agreement's terms in person as well as online. The Only Negotiation Book You'll Ever Need guides you through every stage of the process--from identifying opportunities to closing the deal--with useful negotiation techniques and tips for adapting classic strategies to online interactions. This book helps you anticipate your adversaries' moves, outwit them at every turn, and spin obstacles to your advantage. You'll also build long-term relationships and win your deals without ever having to give in.