Video Review Sociology - Assignment Example

In the video, Patricia shows signs of a good negotiator by discussing with fellow supervisor Kristy the inappropriateness of Sophie’s comment and planning on how she will approach her. Patricia wants to make sure that Sophie realizes on her own how unprofessional her comment was toward the client, without putting her down. The essence of negotiation is to learn from what the other has to say and truly know how to listen. For example, Patricia feels that the best approach with Sophie would be to ask her how the interview went and give her the opportunity to respond.

Doing this, will give Sophie a chance to reflect on her statements and realize where she was wrong. Also, Patricia doesn’t strictly plan the entire conversation and instead resolves to have an open discussion in order to leave room for flexibility and new approaches. Meeting: A successful negotiator doesn’t come with only a single minded approach; instead they are powered by BATNA (Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement) (Downs, 2008). This allows the negotiator to remain confident and have a prepared alternative in order to maneuver around the conversation positively.

For example, Patricia’s first strategy is to have Sophie realize herself the mistake that she made by reflecting back on her interview. If this approach doesn’t hold up well, then Patricia, herself, will acknowledge Sophie’s mistake and help her make amends with the client, as well as go through more training. Having a BATNA helps negotiators to steer the conversation and be in control of their approach. When negotiating, Patricia begins by briefly outlining the purpose of the meeting and asking Sophie how the home visit went.

This open ended question allows for an open discussion with a great opportunity to listen and also subtly guides the other person’s response (Downs, 2008; Zartman and Rubin, 2002). For example, Sophie’s reply does indicate her realization of the inappropriateness of her comment to the client and allows her to acknowledge the lack of professionalism in this regard. Also, Patricia is warm and comforting when asking further questions. This is a great way of gathering more information while giving the other part a chance to talk and feel open.

Instead of putting her down, Patricia helps Sophie to feel comfortable by stating that she is pleased with her realization. This creates an atmosphere of trust and offers a comfort zone for the other party where they are willing to be more open and feel safe (Spangle and Isenhart, 2003). Not only does Patricia get the expected response, but she also comes prepared with a positive solution. For example, she professionally presents Sophie with an opportunity of being trained in how to handle similar situations like these.

Therefore, instead of feeling insulted, Sophie is given a platform to improve herself and feel comfortable with the conversation. For example, she comments by saying ‘thanks for the feedback,’ indicating her satisfaction with the negotiation. Skills/ Personal qualities/ Style: By being prepared, Patricia was able to handle a potentially awkward situation in a professional and healthy manner. This resulted in a positive response by Sophie. Both parties, thus, reached a common, safe ground and were able to give and take from the conversation (Spoelstra and Pienaar, 1996).

Patricia displayed skillful qualities by asking questions, giving positive