A lecture discussion on “Negotiation Skills” was conducted on Wednesday, 3rd September, 2025 at National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), Lahore with an aim to enlighten the participants of 44th MCMC about the importance of negotiation skills, negotiation strategies, effective negotiation tools and techniques, practical/hands-on exercises as well as international best practices and case studies.

The guest speaker discussed the process of negotiation and its stages. He talked about different techniques and strategies including BATNA/WATNA/MILATNA. He elaborated on the “Choice Model” which guides negotiators in choosing between collaboration, competition, accommodation, or avoidance based on goals and relational concerns. He informed the participants about the common challenges during negotiation process. He emphasized that the body language, patience, professionalism, and objectivity are vital for success in negotiations.

After the presentation, a case study activity was conducted. The participants were divided into four groups and were tasked to understand the given problem, describe the process and talk about the end result through negotiation in their group presentation. For the last group activity, each group was asked to make a car in 35 minutes and was given a specific material. The groups had to use negotiation skills for trading tools and successfully making a car in the allotted time. The activity taught some valuable lessons to the participants regarding negotiation skills and process.