The Optimal Negotiator: The Definitive Program for Serious Deal Makers


Negotiating is a delicate mix of art and science, style and substance. It prizes intuition as highly as intellect, common sense as much as the hard numbers. It requires emotional detachment and a high aspiration level. It is a game of power, real as well as manufactured. While some play the game masterfully, many only dimly understand it.

This comprehensive program on the art, process and attributes of successful negotiating is the creation of Dr. Jim Murray who has been researching, teaching and practicing this time-honored craft over the course of four decades. His accomplishments at the bargaining table run the gamut from commercial transactions and collective bargaining to corporate acquisitions, from counselling hostage negotiators to mentoring CEOs, from training military officers to advising parents on the art of dealing with troublesome teens. He has authored three best-selling books on negotiating, conflict resolution and influencing difficult people. 

Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life and professional callings have benefitted from his unique, street-savvy insights, acknowledged expertise and hands-on experiences. Commenting on Jim’s negotiating insights, an Edmonton lawyer has this to say: “Outstanding! In one day, Jim Murray taught me more about helping parties to reach agreements and solve problems than I learned in three years at law school.”

Should you attend?  If you are serious about wanting to develop your skills beyond mere competence, this program will show you the path towards mastery. As Dr. Jim advises “Negotiating is the one skill that can immeasurably enhance the quality and meaning of your personal and professional life, as well as the lives of those significant people on whom you depend for your happiness.” Many understand the process intellectually but precious few are entirely comfortable in its execution or in their ability to consistently “optimize” deals.

In business today, the ability to get others to agree with your point of view, while seeing themselves as winners, is crucial to your success as well as the prosperity of your organization. One cannot expect to ascend the corporate ladder without a sound grasp of critical negotiating principles and without the ability to emulate those who always do it well. If you aspire to a higher level of achievement, this program is for you.

The benefits of attending

Upon completion of this highly practical, intensive learning experience, you will be better prepared to:

  • Enter into any negotiation with greater comfort, confidence and competence;
  • Remain focussed on achieving your objectives, regardless of the pressures or challenges;
  • Project a powerful, credible and controlled presence at the bargaining table;
  • Engage others in co-operative problem solving aimed at mutual profit improvement;
  • Not become the unwitting victim of the tactics and ploys used by others;
  • Utilize savvy advice and insights to enhance your cross-cultural communications;
  • Change attitudes, improve relationships and influence decisions that will determine your future.

Attendees also receive copies of Dr. Murray’s two best-selling books on negotiating.

Sessions include

  • How to Consistently Achieve a Win-Win Outcome
  • Tactic Recognition and Response
  • Cross-Cultural Differences in Negotiating Styles
  • The Negotiating Process Simplified and Explained
  • Critical Principles of Time and Timing
  • Accumulating and Sustaining Negotiating Leverage
  • The People Puzzle: Using Human Behaviour to Advantage
  • Essential (and Powerful) Communication Skills 
  • Becoming an Inventive Negotiator
  • Working and Negotiating in Teams
  • Optimal Negotiator Fundamentals and Attributes.