Negotiation is a key aspect in doing business but also it can be integrated in immersive media such as serious games for helping students to experience negotiation features in real-world scenarios. Negotiation abilities require solid preparation, data and information on the party with whom you are negotiating with and creativity to come-up with plans and solutions for any unexpected situation that may arise.
Some key negotiation skills can span from:
Analysis of the negotiating situation: Gathering requirements and data on how to approach the negotiation, history of negotiations with the counterparts and alternative solutions in case the original negotiation does not end up well.
Building rapport. It is always wise to set up a preliminary discussion with the negotiating party to understand intentions, feelings, inclinations and achieving intimacy via exchanging contact details with the other party.
Listen actively: It is of paramount importance to listen actively what the counterpart is discussing. Instead of thinking what to say next, it would be good strategy to summarise what it has been said and ask anything that was misinterpreted.
Ask good questions: You can make much more sense when you are asking meaningful questions as to understand the negotiation objectives more thoroughly. Attempt to ask questions that will encourage deep discussions on meanings, practices and ways of doing things. For example questions such as "Could you please discuss how this will take place?" or "Could you please tell me more about this?"
Search for smart tradeoffs: Attempt to have a integrative approach to the negotiation that is not focused only on finances but also on values that the counterpart would be willing to negotiate, and you can make further concessions.
Avoid anchoring bias: The first offer is often the one that leads the following offers and discussions. Try to be the first who is going to make the first offer and then try to anchor talks towards your strategy direction.
A serious game would be an ideal medium to model and represent such negotiation skills and let students try them in mini negotiation scenarios. Dystopian or utopian situations can be presented when students are applying those skills and see their consequences in practice. An example of such as negotiation game is the merchants.