Practice makes perfect. Negotiation is a skill, and like any skill it can be improved through practice. While some people may naturally excel at negotiation, even natural negotiators will see improvement with more experience and practice.

Reading about how to handle a negotiation is quite different than actually doing it in real life. Now that you understand the framework of the negotiation game, you should practice these skills and refine them before negotiating with your boss regarding the terms of your new position. As we mentioned earlier, everything is negotiable. There are numerous opportunities for you to practice these skills in your everyday life. Treat each of the following suggestions as an assignment. We will progressively ask you to try harder and harder tasks in order to push you to hone your negotiation skills. By the time you've completed all of these assignments, your negotiation experience will give you confidence and remove some of the fears associated...