Rhunne Janssens
Negotiation is in essence human interaction. The core of our reasoning are our emotions and our limited rationality. Keeping this in mind is key for a negotiator. To get what you want, you first need to understand each other. At LCM Student Association, we enable people to reach their full potential. Our core activity is practicing the art of negotiation together. During the learning process, you will develop valuable life skills. Daring to push your boundaries is a challenge. A challenge necessary to grow as a person.
We at LCM SA can proudly say that we are the leading student association in the field of negotiation and mediation. Through the Negotiation Track, LCM SA provides the necessary theoretical basis and, most important, further focuses on practical application of the techniques based on cases in a professional context. LCM SA values the diversity of specializations of its members and the various backgrounds of its lecturers. In this way, we analyze every problem and case from different professional perspectives.
The negotiation track taught me to behave assertively in a negotiation, to come up with creative solutions, and reach valuable agreements under time pressure. LCM SA offered and still offers me an excellent and unique learning opportunity.
Caroline Vandeput & Marie-Judith Vanden Kerchove
Events & Alumni- Masters of Law at KU Leuven
Negotiating is more than being right or wrong. It is about understanding the other party, showing empathy and expressing your own views on the subject matter. That way some sort of pareto optimum can be reached. LCM SA taught us the necessary skills to start a proper negotiation and mediation. During different workshops, case sessions and competitions we were able to train our skills. The personal feedback helped us to improve our skills and to become more confident in a negotiation. Being a good negotiator is important both professionally and personally. Consciously or not, we negotiate with other people, so you better be good at it.
The negotiation doesn’t start until someone says “No”. Whether you like it or not, you’re a negotiation. As a bioengineering student I used to be a total stranger to this skill. Through workshops LCM SA will help you improve your day-to-day life. It will give you a toolbox in negotiation you’ll use in your future professional career. A perfect match between theory, practice and personal feedback is our secret. How do you make the others listen more carefully to your arguments? How to reach an agreement when the other party is hard-shelled? How to give more impact to your argument?
LCM SA helped me to develop myself as a person. New friendships, interesting topics and people from various backgrounds all contributed to an unforgettable year. LCM SA will take you on an enriching journey that I’d highly recommend to any student.
No matter where you are, who you are with or where you come from, you are a negotiator whether you like or not, this is a core principle of LCM SA. Even though this is a simple sentence, it really gives an accurate portrayal of our complex reality. Whether it be friends, family or colleagues, our life consists of multiple layers of social interactions and most of those interactions are some sort of negotiation. LCM SA teaches you in a very coherent manner how to ensure these social interactions end with all interests considered.