A CURRICULUM FOR TEACHING NEGOTIATION AND SELF-ADVOCACY SKILLS
Who We Are
Negotiation Works is a non-profit organization that offers a unique negotiation and self-advocacy curriculum for people who are emerging from difficult and often traumatic situations—incarceration, homelessness, addiction, domestic violence—so they gain the skills to navigate everyday challenges and live the next chapters in their lives confidently and productively.
Since 2018, we have provided negotiation skills training to a broad range of historically marginalized populations through partnerships with residential programs for people experiencing homelessness or domestic violence, educational and workforce development programs for women or individuals returning to the community post-incarceration, and correctional institutions. Participants in our programs report learning new problem-solving skills that help them deal more productively with conflict in all areas of their lives, including family, employment, housing, health care, and more.
Our Curriculum
Negotiation Works’ curriculum provides a tested, effective set of negotiation training materials, reflecting the real lives of people experiencing challenging life situations. The defining features of the Negotiation Works curriculum are customized role plays. Each one highlights specific negotiation concepts, such as perspective-taking, identifying both parties’ interests, exploring alternatives to negotiated agreements, or active listening. Scenarios portray everyday life situations such as a formerly incarcerated individual seeking a lease from a landlord; a food stamp recipient persuading her caseworker to reinstate her benefits after a wrongful termination; or extended family members determining who will care for the children when the parents are struggling with mental health issues, homelessness, addiction, or incarceration.
In addition to the role plays, our curriculum offers group activities, engaging discussion topics, and self-reflections that enable participants to learn and practice skills over multiple weeks. Each course ranges from four to eight sessions depending on the partner program’s preferences and structure and is customized to meet the specific needs and challenges of the group.
Participants receive a printed guidebook that includes material complementing the lessons presented during the class meetings and a reference section with a full set of negotiation strategies and tips. At the end of the course, each student receives a Certificate of Completion.
"THE NEGOTIATION WORKS CURRICULUM SPEAKS TO THE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATE IN ITS PROGRAMS. ALL PARTICIPANTS LEARN SOMETHING THEY CAN USE TO MAKE THEIR LIVES BETTER.”
– SUSAN | NW Instructor
Our Results
Our courses empower participants with skills and strategies so they can capably and comfortably handle a wide array of everyday challenges with employers, landlords, family members, health care providers, businesses, and more. The goal of each lesson, and each course, is to provide the tools for community members to become strong communicators and self-advocates for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Individuals who go through Negotiation Works’ courses gain numerous interpersonal benefits, including knowledge of productive ways to manage disputes, the ability to apply newly-learned conflict resolution strategies in all aspects of their lives, and confidence in their negotiation capabilities. Program benefits also extend to tangible results in participants’ economic well-being.
Regular monitoring and data analysis are key to ensuring our courses target the participants’ needs and deliver actionable and memorable strategies for their use.
NEARLY 8 OUT OF 10 PARTICIPANTS CREDIT NEGOTIATION TRAINING WITH HELPING THEM ACHIEVE POSITIVE LIFE CHANGES.
Bringing the Curriculum to Your Community
Negotiation Works offers our full curriculum for license to educational and service providers, consortiums of workforce development programs, and correctional facilities that are interested in replicating our programs in their communities using their own trainers. We provide comprehensive training to ensure the teachers are prepared to deliver our interactive program with maximum impact to support community members.
Each easy-to-follow lesson plan includes learning targets, instructors’ notes, key points to convey, and suggested pacing. Role plays are paired with teachers’ instructions that outline the main goals of the activity and provide a guide for preparing, implementing, and debriefing the exercise.
Fees cover the cost of training materials and multi-day, in-person training for the instructors; annual licensing of lessons customized specifically for your group; materials for program participants, including role plays, guidebooks, and Certificates of Completion; and ongoing consultation.
