Not just a freelance interpreter and a lawyer specializing in international and comparative law, negotiation and conflict resolution. I have also been a tennis coach, having played, taught and debated tennis in many countries and languages. In my book The Nego-Tennis Method, I show that tennis and negotiation are twin games and reveal how to develop the skills to succeed in international deal-making on the tennis court.
The ‘Nego-Tennis Method’ is an innovative approach to understanding and managing negotiations from the perspective not only of ‘game theory,’ but also of the ‘praxis’ of a real competitive game. It is about seeing negotiation ‘with tennis eyes.’ It is the product of many years of study of diplomatic and commercial negotiations and lessons learned from direct involvement in international deal-making endeavors, such as the sponsorship agreements for the Barcelona Olympic Games, the organization of the first professional tennis tournament in Moscow – the Kremlin Cup – and the UN Peace Plan for El Salvador. It has also been developed for many decades in collaboration with the International Tennis Federation in events with the world’s top tennis coaches.
The genesis of ‘Nego-Tennis: once upon a time at Harvard’
The genesis of the Nego-Tennis Method dates back to 1991, when I was participating in a program organized by the Harvard Negotiation Project to be a ‘resource person’ on behalf of UNITAR. At that time, war was raging in Iraq and the techniques, tactics and strategies of tennis dawned on me when approaching negotiations. I realized that by combining my expertise in both ‘games’ I could see the bigger picture: to be more effective and resilient whilst becoming a much better performer both on the court and in business.
It also made me rethink the meaning of concepts such as competition, conflict, winning and problem-solving, and discarding myths and fallacies, such as the relationship of negotiation with the art of war or the prisoner’s dilemma. But that was just the beginning. I continued refining the ‘Nego-Tennis Method’ ever since ‘Once upon a time at Harvard,’ where I re-discovered tennis as a source of inspiration to overcome the challenges of international negotiations. I have put it to work in ‘matches’ with scores of cross-cultural interlocutors and taught it to many diplomats and students of international relations. I have also used this method to grasp the relevant issues in hundreds of conferences and meetings at the United Nations.
Negotiation and tennis are not war – they are twin games
In the scientific literature on conflict resolution, a game is a strategic situation of real or perceived conflict in which at least two parties are involved and the outcome cannot be imposed by only one of them. Thus, negotiation can be described as a game entailing a process in which two or more parties communicate, exchanging messages on one or more issues, to reach a mutually acceptable outcome, a so-called agreement. Paraphrasing that definition in tennis terms, it is easy to think of the negotiating parties as players, each controlling their respective half court, separated by a virtual net and trying to influence each other with their shots to achieve the best possible outcome in their game. The structure of a tennis match and a negotiation is virtually identical, with the same actors, factors and stages. The underlying inference of the ‘Nego-Tennis Method’ is that negotiation and tennis are not war. They are twin games that can be approached and mastered together from a common perspective.
Advantages of the ‘Nego-Tennis Method’
As the book explains, a competitor is a player with a game plan. However, becoming a Global Competitor requires acquiring the tactical and strategic skills to find the right competitive mix between our style of play and that of the other party. After years of study on conceptual frameworks of diplomatic and business negotiations, including game theory, I realized that far better results can be achieved by focusing on the praxis of real games, such as tennis. While game theory may be useful to identify the interests at stake and possible trade-offs, it fails to adequately take into account the personalities and competitive styles of the players, or the tactical and strategic variations in the exchange of messages that underpin live decision-making during the course of the game. The ‘Nego-Tennis Method’ manages to achieve this. Another advantage of the method over game theory and other conventional approaches is that it is proactive, not reactive, as it allows to effectively manage the flow of rhetorical and dialectical messages to build winning rallies on the different points (issues) and set targets for each phase of the negotiation match. In addition, it fosters active listening – the equivalent of watching the ball in tennis – and facilitates proper recognition of the shot intent of messages through a charting system (similar to that used by tennis coaches worldwide) that is crucial to overcome the inherent pitfalls of cross-cultural communication.
Learning negotiation skills on the tennis court
The ‘Nego-Tennis Method’ is easy to assimilate, flexible and adaptable to all kinds of situations and is a lot of fun. Most importantly, it allows you to learn by playing every time you step on a court and to acquire competitive skills and abilities that are the keys to success – timing, anticipation, creativity, strategic vision and mental toughness – that you can transfer to your professional negotiations. But the best way to develop the champion qualities that are the essence of the art and science of both twin games is to alternate tennis drills on the court and negotiation simulations in the classroom. This is precisely the format of the Global Competitor Workshop, which is described in the book. Be they newcomers to international negotiations or seasoned diplomats, all kinds of practitioners can benefit from this synergistic relationship to become true Global Competitors in both tennis and business at the same time.
A final ‘Nego-Tennis’ tip – or rather two
My last piece of advice learned from ‘Nego-Tennis’ is of a practical nature. Let’s imagine you find yourself in a bind and don’t have the time or resources to properly prepare for an important negotiation as thoroughly as you would like. But you learn that your counterpart is known to travel with a tennis racket, or at least tennis shoes, as part of his or her luggage. I suggest the following shortcut: invite your business partner to play a game of tennis at your club, or the nearest public court.
By the time you have completed thefirst set (if you play for points) and definitely by the end of your tennis session (if you just hit) you will know practically everything there is to know about your partner’s decision-making style under pressure. You will find out for sure if they are a risk-taker, a pusher, an aggressive hitter or, maybe, a net-rusher. Do they tend to crumble – like the proverbial cookie – under pressure or to play hardball? Are they a cheater? And, if so, are they a strategic, tactical or compulsive cheater? All these things, and possibly many more, will come to you like a heavenly revelation, thanks to the magic of that testing ground for competitive excellence that we call a tennis court. Believe me the shortcut is definitely worth a try.
However, there is also the other side of the coin to consider. Observe your counterpart’s reactions on the tennis court, but don’t forget that your partner may also have become an enthusiastic practitioner of ‘Nego-Tennis’ and may also be busy – with ‘tennis eyes’ wide open – watching you! So, you’d better be on your toes and never stop thinking and acting like a Global Competitor!
The NEGO-TENNIS METHOD is about skills, tactics and strategies for success on the tennis court, in business and in life.
It is also available on Amazon (Kindle).