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CTPL Coaching Sessions on the Fundamentals of Trade Negotiations
February 9, 2023 — February 9, 2023
| Location: | Online course |
| Cost: | $500 + tax for each three-hour coaching session |
Instructors: Rosemina Nathoo, Associate Director and International Legal Counsel, Centre for Trade Policy and Law
Phil Rourke, Executive Director, Centre for Trade Policy and Law
Course Description
CTPL offers small group coaching sessions online on the fundamentals of trade negotiations to improve your skills and test your abilities in a safe and neutral space. Each three-hour session focuses on a specific skill development or negotiation situation that you are likely to experience in real negotiations.
Each session will provide “live coaching” and immediate feedback to all participants. Registration is limited to a maximum of 8 people to ensure that each participant gets an opportunity to be fully engaged in the exercises and interact with the coaches.
The CTPL approach to skills development
“Learning-by-doing” is the most effective way for trade officials to develop their skills as negotiators. This process can take 10 to 15 years as officials move up the experience curve from note-taker at negotiation meetings, to technical expert, to subject matter lead, to Deputy and then Chief Negotiator of a major trade negotiation. CTPL courses help reduce the time it takes to gain this experience through practical application exercises and simulations that are delivered in a “safe” environment. By the end of each CTPL course, participants have gained real experience that improves their ability to prepare and implement an effective negotiation strategy.
Participant Profile
This course is designed for junior and mid-level negotiation professionals who are interested in improving their skills in international negotiations with a specific focus on trade negotiations. The case exercises and simulations focus on trade negotiations with lessons learned that can be applied equally to other international negotiations.
You can register as an individual or as a team of up to 8 people. Teams that are working in the field within a specific government department or division can use a session to road test specific negotiation strategies in particular scenarios as preparation for official negotiation rounds or meetings.
Certificate of Achievement
While you can pick and choose to register in any of the sessions, you will receive a CTPL Certificate in the Fundamentals of Trade Negotiations if you complete all eight sessions.
Tuition Fee per Session: CAN$500 plus 13% Canadian sales tax per person
Session 1: How to Negotiate Online
Online sessions are increasingly being integrated into meeting schedules for negotiations. Virtual negotiations can be effective if you understand the opportunities and constraints they represent in your overall negotiating strategy. Being comfortable with negotiating online can also improve your performance in negotiations. This session uses a simulation and a discussion and debrief session to improve your understanding of how to conduct negotiations online and to improve your skills in negotiating trade agreements using online platforms.
Session 2: Negotiation Strategy and Tactics
This session introduces you to the CTPL Trade Negotiation Mapping Tool to assist you and your team to develop an effective negotiation strategy. Participants use the Tool in teams to develop a negotiation strategy on a particular trade issue. Each team then presents and discusses their recommended strategy with the coaches and participants.
Session 3: Team Dynamics
Implementing an effective trade negotiation strategy depends on a strong and disciplined team of technical experts, negotiators and coordinators working together in common cause to achieve the team’s negotiating objectives. This session focuses on improving your understanding of: how trade negotiation teams prepare for, and participate in, former negotiating sessions; and how members of rthe negotiating team can support their Chapter Leads in preparation for, during, and after former negotiating sessions.
Session 4: Drafting an FTA Chapter
Drafting agreements are both a technical exercise and a critical stage in negotiations. This session focuses on the role of text development in an effective negotiation strategy. From this session, you will improve your understanding of drafting principles in text development for a chapter in a trade agreement and improve your understanding of how negotiators can optimize the role of lawyers in the negotiation process.
Session 5: Dealing with Stalemates
Conflict is inherent to any negotiation and especially arises in trade negotiations. Learning to anticipate, manage and resolve conflict in a critical success factor in the implementation of any trade negotiation strategy. This session provides tips on how to deal with and resolve conflict in negotiations. The application exercise is a simulation of a stalemate in bilateral trade negotiations in which each team attempts to re-start the negotiations based on confidential mandates from their respective governments.
Session 6: Dealing with Curveballs
All negotiators will tell you that you need to expect the unexpected and negotiations never go completely as planned. In this session, you will improve your skills in dealing effectively with the unexpected from the other side. The session will provide tips on how to deal with curveballs and you will work in teams to develop a strategy to deal effectively when the other side tries to put you on the defensive by throwing you a curveball.
Session 7: Stakeholder Engagement
Trade negotiators will frequently say that 80 percent of all negotiations are done “at home” with stakeholders inside and outside government, civil society, and the media. This session will focus on improving your ability to communicate with stakeholders to identify their needs, expectations, motivations, and interests; to plan and execute an effective stakleholder engagement strategy through a team exercise; and to apply techniques and best practices to effectively and continuously engage and influence key stakehodlers at every stage in a trade negotiations
Session 8: Preparing for the End Game
The best outcome in a negotiation requires a very considered and disciplined approach to managing the end game. This session focuses on increasing your skills in briefing your Chief for the end game and examines real examples of how end games strategies were executed effectively.
Coaching Session Schedule for 2022/23
Session 1: How to Negotiate Online Thursday, October 13, 2022 CLOSED
Session 2: Negotiation Strategy and Tactics Thursday, October 20, 2022 CLOSED
Session 3: Team Dynamics Thursday, November 10, 2022 CLOSED
Session 4: Drafting an FTA Chapter Thursday, November 17, 2022 CLOSED
Session 5: Dealing with Stalemates Tuesday, December 6, 2022 CLOSED
Session 6: Dealing with Curveballs Tuesday, December 13, 2022 CLOSED
Session 7: Stakeholder Engagement Thursday, January 26, 2023 CLOSED
Session 8: Preparing for the End Game Thursday, February 9, 2023 CLOSED
Each coaching session runs from 9am to 12pm Eastern Standard Time (EST)