An ALL Female International Women's Day Cohort
Saying goodbye to this cohort from The University of Law was a genuinely sad moment — because in four short weeks we moved from strangers to a team that could challenge each other, support each other, and improve quickly through practice.
International Women’s Day is on 8 March, and this year we marked it with something we hadn’t had before: an all-female cohort practising negotiation skills together.
If this approach resonates, the next step is always practice.
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Why this cohort improved so quickly
The course goal was simple: become better negotiators — by practising once per week, not by consuming theory.
Even when the scenarios involved apples, the behaviours were real: speaking under pressure, handling uncertainty, and making decisions in the micro-moments where confidence either appears or disappears.
The tactic behind the confidence: Positive Regard
One of the hidden performance multipliers in this cohort was how quickly participants began encouraging each other.
That is not “just being nice”. It is a practisable negotiation behaviour: Positive Regard — signals (verbal and non-verbal) that communicate respect while keeping the other person talking and thinking.
To practise it deliberately, start here: Positive Regard .
Supporting tactics we were using without naming them
As the cohort bonded, three other practisable behaviours were clearly at work:
- Building Relationships : creating trust quickly, even in short exercises
- Summarising : confirming meaning rather than assuming it
- Law of Satisfaction : leaving the conversation feeling progress, not just outcome
Reading about tactics is useful. Practising them is what makes the difference.
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Why International Women’s Day mattered in this context
The point wasn’t that negotiation is “different” for women. The point was that an all-female cohort created a powerful environment for practice: quicker trust, stronger peer support, and a shared willingness to step into challenge.
For context on International Women’s Day and its purpose, see UN Women: International Women’s Day 2026 .
What I hope stays with every participant
Confidence in negotiation isn’t gained by being told what to do. It is gained by doing it — repeatedly — and noticing improvement.
My congratulations to every participant who completed the programme. If a new passion for negotiation has been sparked, the best next step is to keep practising in community.
You can explore more practiceable tactics here: Negotiation Tactics, Techniques & Strategies .
Join a FREE Negotiation Taster Session
Join the Student Negotiation Club (£9.99 pm)
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