Tired of getting hosed? Check out USF Sarasota-Manatee’s new course: ‘The Art of Negotiation’

If you have ever walked away from buying a car, a mattress or a house with the sneaking suspicion that you’ve paid too much, you may want to check out a new course the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee is offering.

“The Art of Negotiation” is a two-day course that will teach students negotiating techniques and the keys to a successful haggle. The class is open to anyone, and graduate students earn 1.5 credits.

Ross P. Alander, a retired senior lecturer in management studies at USFSM’s College of Business, will lead the course, and his first piece of advice may surprise prospective students.

“Listening is the key,” he said. “Active listening is even better.”

He said the course will be hands-on. Students will practice the techniques he is showing them, and Alander, a Harvard Law School-trained arbitrator, will critique their performance. Students will develop mock contracts and discuss their proposals with each other.

“I’ll come up with some scenarios, and the students will sit one on one side and one on the other,” he said. “I want the students to be active participants.”

The course will run from 9 a.m. to noon, Sept. 9 and Sept. 16, in room C116A at USFSM’s main campus, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.

To register, visit usfsmpace.catalog.instructure.com/browse/business/courses/negotiations.

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Tired of getting hosed? Check out USF Sarasota-Manatee’s new course: ‘The Art of Negotiation’."