Dialogue Gap

When the Great Recession of 2008-9 took its toll on my clients, I used the down time to reflect on how things had changed in the world since my first book on negotiation.  I noted a declining ability for people to come to the table to discuss and resolve their differences.  Despite communicating more than at any time in history, people seemed to be losing their ability to dialogue.  This led me to discover the difference between communication (mostly when we send information) and dialogue (mostly when we think together).  Whereas communication focused mostly on speaking and listening, dialogue included these two skills as well as respect, suspending of assumptions and presence.  I coined the term Dialogue Gap to describe the problems arising when our declining ability to dialogue comes at a time when dialogue is needed more than ever before.  The book became an instant success and continues to sell well.

Dialogue Gaps now figure heavily in international trade, politics, environment concerns as well as social and family issues.  This book has three important parts.  Firstly I explain the negative effects of dialogue gap.  Secondly, I describe and give examples of the five categories and specific skills people need to master to become effective dialogue leaders.  Finally I introduce nearly 50 dialogue methods that effective dialogue leaders have available today to bring together stakeholder to dialogue key issues in ways that lead to successful outcomes.  I include links to further information and suggest when to use the various dialogue methods proven to work around the world.

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Negotiation: Mastering Business in Asia

People often say the best negotiators are in Asia.  This book uncovers what it is these star negotiators do that makes them better than the rest.  You can learn to be a star negotiator by reading and applying the best practices outlined in this book.  The book title suggests it was written for business schools, but this is a very small part of my work.  Despite this, as recently as June 2019 an MBA student from Beijing said my course based on this book was amongst the best courses in her entire MBA programme. 

It is difficult to know one’s own culture.  After a decade spent studying and working with star negotiators throughout Asia and around the world, I selected anecdotes and examples from my experience and added a chapter focusing on how negotiation in Asia is different.  These observations continue to be sound today.  On reading this book, a Korean client noted his countrymen better beware now that foreigners understand Asia better than Asians do. 

This book continues to sell well, and leading company executives continue to seek out my help for their negotiations in and across Asia and beyond.  The book focuses on the attributes of star negotiators and what to do at each stage of your negotiation to achieve the optimal outcomes you are after.  A companion Star Negotiator Case Book (published by Potential Limited) is also available for organisations running our train the trainer workshops. 

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The Business Developer’s Playbook

Since the start of my consulting career service professionals in big firms around the world all wanted to learn my approach to business development.  Having watched my success they realised I must be doing something right.  What I was doing was learning quickly from others and from my mistakes and then codifying this to remind myself and others what to do to be consistently successful.  The Relationship Selling Principles and the DNA of Dialogue Selling became the basis for my business development training and consulting around the world.  This book describes each of the relationship selling principles as well as the step by step approach of the dialogue selling process. 

This book is written for three specific target groups: 

1. Service professionals wanting to grow existing client accounts as well as acquire new clients

2. Change leaders wanting to sell their ideas to make the world a better place be that at work, at home or at large in society

3. Ambitious people wanting to sell themselves into better positions regardless of whether they are looking for work, promotion, partnership or more.

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We’re F*CKED

Before the pandemic forced Canadian author, speaker, and international negotiation consultant, Peter Nixon, to lock down in Hong Kong, he spent most weeks during the last 20 years in dialogue with thousands of leaders from hundreds of organisations in nearly 60 countries worldwide. This unique experience convinced Nixon our current economic, political, and environmental dysfunction is evidence a new direction is needed if we are to continue to thrive on earth throughout the 21st Century.

In this timely book, Nixon identifies the nine hurdles which the best leaders, organisations and countries have learned to overcome today. Practical tips and plenty of anecdotes helps readers overcome the hurdles preventing them from realizing their potential.

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CHANGE manager’s CASEBOOK

Handy resource for teaching what really happens in business and organisational life including issues around change management, negotiation, dialogue, conflict resolution etc. Contains 300 "case scenarios" which are brief descriptions of the roadblocks or hurdles my clients have faced in a wide variety of work situations. Industries include: services (accounting, legal, IT, procurement, tourism, etc.), manufacturing & FMCG, financial services & banking, as well as other cases such as railways, work life, daily life, etc.

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