Three days · OCN accredited · Mediation House or online
Principled Negotiation
Most negotiation goes wrong the same way: both sides arrive with a position, defend it, and meet somewhere unsatisfying in the middle. Nobody gets what they needed, because nobody said what that was.
Principled negotiation works differently. It starts from interests rather than positions — what each side is trying to achieve, rather than what they’ve announced they want. Three days, accredited by the Open College Network.
Who it’s for
People who have to reach agreements as part of their work, and live with the consequences afterwards.
Managers and union representatives. Procurement and contracts staff. Community workers brokering between groups. Anyone whose job involves getting to an outcome that both sides will actually honour — whether that’s across a table or across a housing estate.
What happens across the three days
Day one — the shift. Positions against interests, and why the distinction changes everything. Preparing properly, including working out what you’ll do if there’s no agreement at all.
Day two — the process. Separating the people from the problem. Generating options before deciding between them. Using objective standards so the outcome doesn’t rest on who pushed hardest.
Day three — under pressure. Negotiating with people who won’t play fair, or won’t move. Managing power imbalances. Extended practice with feedback, and assessment for the OCN award.
What you leave with
- A method you can prepare with, not just improvise
- Ways to open up an option nobody had thought of
- Confidence in negotiations where the other side has more power
- An OCN accredited qualification
Who teaches it
Practising mediators who negotiate for a living — including across some of the most contentious community and workplace disputes in Northern Ireland, and internationally through our work with the OSCE and UN agencies. The examples are real.
Run this course for your own team
This course also runs in-house, for one group in your own setting or online, at a day rate rather than per seat. That is separate from booking a place on a public date above.
Having trouble with this form? Call us on 028 9043 8614 or email info@mediationni.org and we will take the details.
Would rather talk it through? Book a 30-minute call.
A taste of the course
This is The Drama Triangle, one of the modules from the course, taught in full and free to watch.
The Drama Triangle
Victim, rescuer, persecutor — three roles that a stuck negotiation keeps rotating people through. Karpman’s triangle explains why helping sometimes makes things worse, and how to step off it.
One module from the course, free and in full. More free tools.
Cost and dates
- 13 – 27 November 2026Mediation HouseBook a place
£695 per person. Runs throughout the year at Mediation House and online, booked separately.
Common questions
Do I need to have done a one-day course first?
No. You can start here. Many people come straight to this course.
Is there assessment?
Yes — it carries an OCN qualification, so there’s assessed work, built into the three days rather than added afterwards. TO CONFIRM — assessment format.
Do the three days run consecutively?
TO CONFIRM — consecutive days or spread across weeks.
Can you run this for our organisation?
Yes. Training for your team.
What this leads to
Mediation Theory & Practice is the next step and the top of our ladder — eight days, accredited by both the Open College Network and the International Mediation Institute. It’s the qualification for people who want to practise as mediators rather than negotiate as part of another role.
TO CONFIRM: the day-by-day breakdown is written from the general shape of an interests-based negotiation programme, not from your syllabus. Check it against what is actually taught. Also needed: the OCN level.