Negotiation Expert, Fotini Iconomopoulos shares how adopting a few negotiation strategies can lead to better relationships in business and life.

Negotiation Expert, Fotini Iconomopoulos dives deep into the art of negotiation. Throughout the conversation, Fotini shares insights from her extensive experience running negotiation workshops and reveals the top challenges people experience when learning how to negotiate and how applying these strategies can actually improve relationships. She offers actionable steps for overcoming these barriers like the importance of preparation, cooperative negotiation tactics, emotional regulation, and asking the right questions. Fotini also explores the bias between men and women in the workplace when it comes to negotiation and provides real life examples. She also shares her own story about needing to go to the emergency room and how negotiation literally saved her life.

BIO

For over a decade, Fotini Iconomopoulos has been the person that Fortune 50 companies call to help them through their high stakes negotiations or train them to upgrade their negotiation, communication and persuasion skills. Today she spends most of her time keynote speaking on negotiation, communication, leadership and conflict management, and offering her experience to meaningful non-profit initiatives. She is regularly featured on TV & podcast media and has been quoted in numerous global publications including HBR, Forbes, CNN, CNBC, and Business Insider.

HarperCollins noticed her frequent media appearances and asked to write her first, now best-selling, book “Say Less, Get More: Unconventional Negotiation Techniques to Get What You Want”which launched to critical acclaim and praise as some of “The Best Leadership Advice from Books By Women” (Globe & Mail 2021).

When not with clients, she occasionally returns to the classroom as an instructor of MBA Negotiations at the Schulich School of Business, where she completed her MBA, as well as guest lectures at universities all over the globe.

After a decade of entrepreneurship in retail, Fotini refined her negotiation skills in the corporate world working for giants like L’Oreal before management consulting. She created a successful negotiation advisory practice for another global firm before starting her own, guiding clients through high-stakes scenarios in all industries.

Having overcome significant gender adversity early in her career, Fotini is passionate about helping people develop the confidence to take on challenges, with a particular interest in empowering women & disadvantaged groups through various non-profit initiatives. In 2018, she expanded to educating adolescent girls through an empowerment camp experience, to start building their confidence and resilience early, a passion she continues to pursue.

She’s been honored by NextUp (formerly Network of Executive Women), whom she serves as a regional advisor for their only Canadian chapter, with a National Inclusion award; The Greek America Foundation as one of their Top 40 under 40; and has been nominated for the Women of Influence RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards multiple times.

CHAPTERS

05:12 Challenges surrounding asking for what you want

08:16 Privilege in negotiation, the on-ramp vs. the stairs

12:09 Emotional regulation in negotiation

16:58 Labelling in negotiation

19:40 Using questions to self-advocate in high pressure situations

22:14 Mirroring in corporate environments

25:20 How to know when to leave a negotiation situation

31:13 Rehearsing for negotiations

34:22 Likeability in negotiation and how to better connect with others

40:50 How Fotini turned a hospital visit into a negotiation and succeeded

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