There are various ways you can negotiate, or have some give and take in business deliberations, a speaker said during an economic workshop Monday.

Gerica Goodman, director of the Virginia Tech Newport News Center, told about two dozen Middle Peninsula and Peninsula businessmen and women at the Gloucester Library in Main Street Center that you “may not always get what you want” but you can’t reach closure without having a starting point.

Before entering negotiations, you should have a goal in mind of what outcome you expect from the meeting, Goodman said. The first steps should be a planning process, figuring out strong points to support your viewpoint, such as if you are going to ask the boss for a raise.

In that case, Goodman said you should put on the table accomplishments and what you add to the team, not just state you want a raise. Also, you should come up with some ground rules for the negotiation process and then clarify and justify your goals with data.

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