The art of negotiation and facilitating courageous dialogue

Positions

emotions, demands, deadlock

Interests

real needs, strategy

Olha Bielenko. Certified expert in the art of negotiation, practical nonverbal communication and conflict facilitation.

20+ years of experience in entrepreneurship.

40+ complex situations resolved (business, capital, family).

8+ years of structured study at A. Yatsenko’s negotiation school.

Specialisation: negotiations that have reached a dead end. Restoring dialogue, aligning interests and reaching clear agreements.

Business owners

Driver: Partnership and development.

Constructive resolution of disagreements, long-term partnerships and resources focused on development.

Business representatives and managers

Driver: Influence and protection.

Strengthening influence, protecting the company’s interests and achieving predictable results.

Members of entrepreneurial families

Driver: Continuity and trust.

Open discussion of ownership, aligning the interests of different generations and preserving trust.

Communication professionals

Driver: Decisions and consequences.

Managing difficult day-to-day communication and taking responsibility for the consequences of decisions.

When direct negotiations produce no result and litigation does not resolve the disagreements.

Division of business and property:

Agreeing ownership shares, valuing assets, a considerate exit from the business or a change in ownership structure.

A difficult divorce and a shared business:

Separating family and business matters while maintaining operational stability.

Negotiations with key executives:

Addressing ultimatums from specialists whose departure would create critical business risks.

Disputes over the brand and assets:

Intellectual property and ending a partnership while keeping dialogue possible.

Family and Capital

Family matters in business:

Agreeing on a management vision, transferring capital to the next generation and allocating roles.

Crises and Pressure

Under pressure:

A strategy for protection against administrative, financial or coercive pressure.

Commercial disputes (high stakes):

Settling financial claims while preserving the potential for cooperation.

Multiparty conflicts:

Facilitating dialogue between several parties with opposing interests.

Reputational risks:

Agreeing actions to reduce losses and rebuild trust.

The facilitator organises dialogue and takes nonverbal signals into account where standard tools are powerless.

Step 1: Purpose

The difference between communication and negotiation with a purpose.

Step 2: Role analysis

Assessing “parts of the personality”: which position we speak from (parent, partner, businessperson, child).

Step 3: Adapting

Personality types and recognising nonverbal signals. Choosing a scenario.

Step 4: A dialogue framework

How to start a difficult conversation “from scratch” in the face of resistance. Dynamics and identifying needs.

Step 5: Interests and BATNA

Separating emotions from needs. Defining a range of terms (minimum, optimal and highest target).

Trust and Reputation

The foundation of any productive dialogue.

Impartiality

Ethical standards and the facilitator’s absolute neutrality.

Confidentiality

Strict protection of information in sensitive matters.

Scope of practice: We distinguish personal psychological support from the negotiation process. Facilitation provides psychological support only for the negotiations. In-depth therapeutic needs are addressed exclusively by involving another specialist.