CEED Armenia Workshop Series on Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Pursuing the objective of further empowering women entrepreneurs and managers through negotiation and contracting skills, the Center for Entrepreneurship & Executive Development (CEED Armenia) has launched the Empowering Women Entrepreneurs workshop series. Through 13 sessions, the series aims to convey core skills and know-how to established professionals in four growing industries: High Tech, Pharmaceuticals/Biotech, Food Processing, and Hospitality.

The Negotiation segment of the workshop series was delivered by Stepan Khzrtian, CEN Yerevan Director. Through 27 hours of training, the participants went from the basics of negotiation and various negotiation dynamics (zero-sum, bargaining, interest-based) to the intricacies of strategic sequencing in multi-party, multi-issue negotiations. Given CEN’s methodology of practice-oriented, skills-development workshops, participants were engaged in a multitude of role-play simulations, interactive exercises, and structured brainstorming sessions. A key value-add was sharing experiences across industries, where participants enjoyed the opportunity of submitting their negotiation cases to commenting and contribution from their colleagues.

The cooperation with the participants of this series is an ongoing one: moving forward, CEN Yerevan is ready and willing to provide consulting and support to these enterprises in their negotiation and communication encounters.

CEN Yerevan would like to express its appreciate to CEED Armenia, and particularly to Narek Manukyan, former Program Manager at CEED Armenia, for this opportunity to participate in strengthening Armenia’s economic development through enhancing core business skills. CEED Armenia is a program of the USAID-funded Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness Project (EDMC).

 

Business Negotiations for Learning Hub Armenia

In the framework of Educational Talks, organised by Learning Hub Armenia, CEN Yerevan was invited to present Business Negotiations topic  for a group of young and enthusiastic individuals. CEN Yerevan trainers Nshan Matevosyan and Stepan Khzrtian talked about negotiation strategies and know-hows, which can be used in various business situations, involving multi-party negotiations, often taking place in business discussions.

CEN Yerevan trainers encouraged the participants to share their own examples, which were analyzed from different perspectives using negotiation elements. The trainers later shared their own experience from business negotiations and at the end presented a set of practical steps each negotiator should follow for reaching better results in their future business activities.

 
  

 

 

Negotiation Course for AUA Law Program

The AUA College of Humanities and Social Sciences engaged CEN Yerevan in the design and delivery of the Negotiation course for the Spring 2014 semester. The course was expanded into a 3-credit, 15-session course, delivered to a class of over 25 Master’s students of the AUA Law Program.

CEN Yerevan Director Stepan Khzrtian delivered the course, with the assistance of guest lectures on Interest-Based Negotiation, by CEN Founder and Director Arthur Martirosyan, and on Facial (Micro)expressions and Body Language by CEN Yerevan Communication trainers Nadezhda Tsolakyan and Narek Ashughatoyan, respectively.

Course participants were taken from the very basics of biparty negotiation to the complex situations of multiparty, multi-issue negotiation. Topics covered included relationship vs. substance, negotiation games such as Zero Sum, Bargaining, Prisoners’ Dilemma, and Interest-Based, Pareto Optimality, Seven Elements, Partisan Perceptions and the Ladder of Inference, Culture of Negotiation, Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication, Persuasion and Framing, as well as Dirty Tricks (and to protect against these).

The course based theory in reality, maintaining a skills-based, practice-oriented vector throughout. Special emphasis was placed on systematically preparing for negotiation and establishing effective processes for optimal results. Skills training was implemented through process analysis of real-life negotiations and case studies, as well as through the scene-by-scene playback of videotaped negotiation simulation performance, allowing students to identify strengths and weakness.

The objective of the course is to develop lawyers with enhanced extra-judicial dispute resolution skills. With a large part of dispute being settled out of court, this is an extremely important skills-set for any seasoned professional.

         

Coaching AUA Team at Mock Arbitration Competition

Given its certain advantages over court procedure, arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism of growing importance in international business.  It allows parties to settle disputes relatively quickly, in private, and outside of court.  Armenia as a country has recognized the efficacy which can be achieved through this mechanism and has established a legal framework, in line with international best practice, which facilitates conducting arbitration in Armenia.

Aiming to raise awareness on and promote the use of arbitration in Armenia, ADR Partners in collaboration with the American University of Armenia organized a Mock Arbitration Competition, challenging student teams from Armenian universities to test their skills before a tribunal of skilled arbiters.  The case involved international trade between an Armenian importer and Dubai supplier of alabaster, with a multitude of parties involved.

Taking initiative, a five-member team of students from the AUA Law Program was among the teams participating in the Competition.  Stepan Khzrtian, CEN Yerevan Director and AUA Law faculty member, was given the opportunity of coaching the team both as to the substantive case and delivery, written and oral.  The team registered remarkable performance in the qualifiers, passing on to the semifinals with high scores, where it humbly ceded to the champion-to-be team of the Competition.

CEN Yerevan attaches high significance to mechanisms of out-of-court dispute resolution, of which negotiation is one and probably the most widespread.  Through similar coaching and participation, the Center aims to encourage students to look beyond formal procedures for resolving conflicts, instead developing tailored processes which are bound to deliver more optimal results.

 

 

   

 

 

Photos courtesy of ADR Partners/AUA

Introduction to Negotiations for Model UN Participants

The Model UN Conference is conducted all over the world, and it was launched in Armenia in November 2000. Every year, approximately 200 Armenian students take part in this conference, which allows them to study the activities of different UN bodies, learn the structure of this organization, and to discuss many very important issues.

Before each conference, a number of workshops take place which help participants get prepared for the event beforehand. CEN Yerevan was invited to deliver a workshop on Introduction to Negotiations, conducted by CEN Yerevan trainer Nshan Matevosyan.

The workshop was aimed at providing Model UN participants with the principles and models of negotiations, helping them understand and analyse the processes and dynamics of international diplomatic negotiations.

At the end of the workshop a 20-minute film on the abolishment of apartheid and establishment of a national unity government in the South African Republic was presented, which allowed participants to observe the application of the principles of effective negotiations in a real-life case study.

Public Speaking for Debate Club

The Debate Club of the Faculty of Primary Education (Armenian State Pedagogical University) organised a series of trainings on Debating Skills, involving Public Speaking: Persuasion skills, which was presented by CEN Yerevan trainer Nadezhda Tsolakyan.

During the training, Nadezhda talked about the preparation steps of public speaking, various techniques used during the speech, and the basic components of persuasive speech.

The training was aimed at providing participants with practical steps, which will help them prepare and make a persuasive speech confidently, both during various presentations and debates, negotiations or discussions.

Participants also shared their personal experiences concerning the main difficulties which occur during presentations or public speeches. Most of their questions were addressed during the discussion, where possible solutions, guidance and tips were provided.

Negotiation Workshop: Strictly Business and Completely Legal

Negotiation skills are relevant for any professional — especially for lawyers and businesspersons.

The LLM and MBA Programs faculty invited Arthur Martirosyan to hold guest lecture/workshops for the AUA Negotiation and Managerial Negotiation courses. Delivered to over 50 law and business students, the workshop invited participants to rethink negotiation: it’s not simply a test of will and tactics, but a strategic communication process where interests should be balanced with relationship — particularly if it’s not a one-off transaction.

Going from framework and tools to practice, Arthur Martirosyan applied the Seven Elements framework and the Principled Method of Negotiation to real-life cases, including the Beslan Hostage Crisis, Armenian presidential post-election process, Israel-Palestine negotiations, and the Artsakh Negotiation Process. Participants also shared their experiences and insights from law and business negotiations.

  

Social Event for Momentum Alumni and Friends

As part of Arthur Martirosyan’s Yerevan visit, a special Social Evening was organized for alumni and friends of the Momentum Program. The agenda for the evening included new developments in negotiation international best practice as well as a breakdown of the political developments in Ukraine.

The Momentum Program is a 2001-2008 program founded and directed by Arthur Martirosyan, with the objective of bringing negotiation and leadership skills training to young and middle-aged young professionals from Armenia, with MercyCorps/CMPartners at Cambridge, MA.

The Winter of Ukrainian Discontent

CEN Yerevan in cooperation with American University of Armenia organised a discussion on current political situation in Ukraine. The speaker of the discussion, Arthur Martirosyan who visited Yerevan from Kiev, provided insights and analysis on the processes taking place. The new wave of public protests, taking place after recent developments regarding accession to the Customs Union vs. the Association Agreement with European Union, put the Maidan under the international spotlight again 10 years after the Orange Revolution. Based on his discussions with several key political actors and observations on the ground, Arthur Martirosyan engaged the audience in understanding the interests of the involved parties, possible means of satisfying them, and what could happen if agreement is not reached.

Mr. Martirosyan is the Founder and Directer of CEN and visits Kiev regularly on business, where he consults and trains government officials and business executives on negotiation and decision-making. One of the offices of Centers for Excellence in Negotiation Program, is situated in Kiev.

CEN strives to promote participatory policy-making, improve results of deliberative processes, and enhance the culture of social dialogue through negotiation training, research and analysis, and interventions.

   

.

Welcoming the New Phase

Ամփոփելով 2013-ը` Բանակցության երևանյան կենտրոնը պատիվ ունի ներկայացնել 2011-2013 թվականների իր զեկույցը` «Նոր շրջանին ընդառաջ»:

Սրտանց մաղթում ենք ձեզ և ձեր սիրելիներին Ուրախ Ամանոր և խաղաղ Սուրբ Ծնունդ (և իհարկե ոչ, սա ենթակա չէ բանակցության)

—
As we wrap up 2013, CEN Yerevan is glad to present its report for 2011-2013, “Welcoming the New Phase Ahead.”

With this, we wish you a very Happy 2014 and a peaceful Christmas (and no, of course these are not negotiable)

Welcoming the New Phase Ahead – CEN Yerevan Biennial Report, 2011-2013