At Lax Sebenius, we’ve been building on our groundbreaking 3D Negotiation™ approach to incorporate a deep understanding of social media network structures, native digital fluency and rigorous data analytics that can help improve deal outcomes at every level.

The disruptive effects of social media have been felt around the world, as digital technologies introduce new capabilities and dynamics that touch business, diplomacy, and politics. Yet while a growing number of dealmakers worry about the potentially adverse effects of social media on their deals, the negotiations community has given this topic little attention.

Our recent, lively webinar on the topic — “New Rules for Negotiators: How Social Media Can Kill or Enhance Your Deals” — drew LOTS of positive reaction from the hundreds who watched. Many of you have told us what a compelling story it was, including the application of our research to illustrate the use of sophisticated digital tools unfamiliar to many negotiators. David, Jim and Ben showed:

• How, by doing a series of graphical analyses of the Twitter traffic before and during the process, a small band of digerati using social media derailed Amazon’s plans for a New York headquarters despite the plan’s ardent support by Governor “Amazon” Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and over 70% of the city’s residents.
• How such tools and open source data could have helped Amazon identify and influence events both before and in real time during this contentious process… including spotting parties who had almost no interest in this project but ended up having a major impact on the outcome. 
• How a different strategy could likely have produced a negotiated outcome that would have been great for virtually all stakeholders. 

In case you missed it, you can watch a version below with about 30 minutes each of presentation and Q&A: