Wednesday morning members of the Nordic Chambers of Commerce gathered for a breakfast seminar about negotiating techniques at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok. The presentation – an interactive video presentation – was held by senior consultant at the prominent law firm in Thailand Tilleke & Gibbins International, John Fotiadis. With a great deal of knowledge, enthusiasm and humour Fotiadis gave tips on how to manage a successful negotiation.
Executive director of the Thai-Swedish Chamber of Commerce, John Svengren, was very pleased with the seminar and delighted to see so many people.
The keyword of the morning-seminar seemed to bee cooperation and openness. “Don’t corner your opponent as it will often lead nowhere,” Fotiadis stated.
Another critical advice was to let the opponents speak: “The more they say, the more you learn.”
Fotiadis also compared negotiating with a game of Poker. In Poker, as well as in negotiations, you have a big advantage if you are able to read your opponents eyes because the eyes act as a lie detector.
He also stressed the importance of culture. Not knowing the country’s norms can easily affect the outcome of the negotiation process in a non-intended way. Furthermore foreigners in Thailand should be aware of the “divide and conquer” technique, as Fotiadis called it. – A technique often used en Thailand in which the other side uses language to eliminate you from the negotiation – if you can’t understand what’s being said, you can’t participate in the negotiation. Therefore it’s a good idea to have a partner at your side who can translate right away. This way you won’t be lost in translation.
It’s the third time American John Fotiadis speaks at an event like this. The next seminar, on the 24th of September, will deal with foreign Scandinavian police in Thailand.
