How we work

The Clingendael trainings are unique. The primary focus is not on transferring knowledge, but on developing a skill which will benefit the participants in a variety of situations. We expose the group to negotiations that closely resemble the work environment of humanitarian professionals. We provide aid workers with practical tools and concepts. Through simulations and role-plays we encourage participants to analyse how they can apply the tools and how that can change their impact as a negotiator. Each exercise is extensively debriefed in order to closely analyse insights, and to exchange ideas on how to apply this in one’s own work context.

How our participants experienced our training approach:

“The simulations, that’s when we could learn in practice about everything we had learned in theory. It made me understand and develop my own negotiations skills especially as we received good feedback to improve our own skills.”

“I needed to understand what negotiation is all about and how to apply it in critical situations / conversations in life. I must say that I got more than I had [hoped] for during the sessions. Not only did I understand the theory but also had sufficient opportunities to put this into practice with different scenarios. I also got to know myself as a negotiator, and explored strategies of getting out of my comfort zone.”

What you can expect

At Clingendael we believe there is no such thing as a perfect negotiation, and therefore you will not leave the training with a ‘blue-print’ for a perfect negotiation. There are many aspects that influence a negotiation, and tactics that may work in a specific setting may not work in another negotiation setting. Instead we offer a set of tools and techniques that you can use, and which you can adapt to your specific situation.

The negotiation skills training is an interactive and intensive training which also highly depends on the input and participation of its participants. Even though we are fully aware of the complex context humanitarian aid workers work in, and how negotiating may interfere with the humanitarian principles, we do not spend much time during our trainings on when or why you should or should not negotiate. We believe that this is specific to the context, situation and organization, and should therefore be discussed internally at your organization.​​​​​​​

Content pyramid how we work