Overview
1) Read the lecture on "Negotiation and Communication". Comment on how well these techniques translate to federal government budget negotiations. What resonates with you as good practices? Are there any techniques in the presentation that may not be effective in budget negotiations?
2) Read the "Win-Win Negotiations" briefing and complete the self-assessment from a professional perspective (i.e., in the government workspace, not how you might negotiate at a car dealership). Please comment on your negotiating style.
3) Consider a time during budget execution when you had to justify and defend a budget/funding request. What lessons did you learn from this experience? Please provide a short list of Do's and Don'ts (3-5 each) that you might recommend to a junior employee preparing for their first budget negotiation.
4) Consider the level of effort involved in preparing a (monthly/quarterly) status of funds report and discuss three benefits of solid budget analysis and the ramifications of poor or limited budget analysis.