NEGOTIATION & PERSUASION: An experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of applied methodologies on personal development

Abstract

Social interactions are constant and ongoing exchanges between individuals, which require both personal and social skills. These skills have been named in many different ways, as soft skills, transversal skills, general skills, key skills, etc. and have in recent years become a hot topic of research. In fact, it has been demonstrated that possessing them results in creating more value both in one’s workplace, while enhancing one’s hard skills, and also in one’s personal life. Two interrelated skills used in our daily lives: Negotiation and Persuasion, are the object of analysis of this study.

This thesis aims at defining them together with existent links with some of the other main soft skills, in particular Empathy, and at examining the most renowned training methodologies. It focuses particularly on the analysis of the effectiveness of the development methodologies applied by the Ca’ Foscari Competency Centre, analysing data acquired from the students participating at the “Competenze in Pillole” of Negotiation and Persuasion.

Many academic articles have been published regarding the concepts and the strategies of these two skills, but there are hardly any studies relative to practical self-development approaches and their outcomes. Therefore, this thesis intends to analyse this aspect, which is important and useful for students who approach the labour market and seek employment. It’s a research that paves the path for further related studies deferred by age, university, nationality, work experience, and other variables.