“Look at the People as People, Not as the Problem”

“Look at the People as People, Not as the Problem”, this negotiation concept is very vital in a negotiation
process. In a negotiation, disagreements or differences could occur. It may be due to the different views, experience,
beliefs etc. of both parties. As the party of professionals, it is easy to assume that the client or the people on the other
end is the problem. It is easy to assume that because we have the expertise, the education and the experience in the
field. However, we should not view the clients like this as it can negatively affect you as a firm or as an architect. As an
architect, a firm or a business we should learn to listen and understand our clients. We shall not easily assume that
they are wrong or the cause of the disagreements in the negotiation process simply because they are not experts on
our field. Instead, we must understand where they are coming from and know their positions deeper. Our client has
concerns and reasons why they are fighting for a certain position and the best thing we can do is understand it. Know
why they are fighting for that certain position, what makes it a best option for them and how they find it advantageous
to their project.
People can be stubborn and sometimes act like they know what they are talking about but understanding
them is the best we can do in a negotiation process. As a business or as an architect, we want to have projects and
we can only have that by not offending our prospective clients. Learning to step outside of our own emotions and our
correctness is the hard but the best thing we can do in these types of situations. We must view people as people and
understand that they have valid reasons to believe their positions and not view them as the problem. We may be right
most of the time but it does not devalue the inputs of the clients. A negotiation process is done between two parties
and not only one, thus, both opinion matters during the process. Understanding each other’s position and coming with
a compromise or option where both parties can gain mutually is what we should do in a negotiation agreement process.