Understanding how the best negotiation courses can help you is only useful when you realize how critical negotiations can be in every area of our life.
With over a decade in Management, I’ve personally observed how business professionals with the best negotiation skills can often:
- Turn the bargaining table in their favor
- Being able to communicate effectively
- Resolve differences
- And obtain the maximum value from all parties involved
Furthermore, negotiations are so critical to our personal and professional lives that the negotiation training market is estimated to reach multi-million dollar value by 2029.
Whether you’re negotiating for that next pay raise, for that new job offer, or negotiating at a thrift shop, as much as we’d like to think so – negotiation mastery doesn’t happen naturally and often requires the right guidance and techniques.
Apart from my best list of negotiation quotes that can inspire your mindset, in this guide, I’ve scoured the net for the best online courses in negotiation.
These are taught by only the best in the industry who can offer you their wealth of experiences and expertise from the comfort of your own home.
Let’s get started.
What Are The Best Negotiation Courses?
Here are my top negotiation courses that meets my criteria:
Overall Best Negotiation Course: Professional Certificate in Business Negotiations by Indiana University (EDX)
Best For Hobbyists: The Art Of Negotiation by Chris Voss (MasterClass)
Best For Budget: Successful Negotiation: Master Your Negotiating Skills (Udemy)
1. Professional Certificate in Business Negotiations by Indiana University (EDX)
Overall Best Negotiation Course ($583.20)
Overview
The Professional Certificate in Business Negotiations by Indiana University is a comprehensive all-in-one negotiation course that covers every area of negotiation mastery and accelerates your negotiation skills from basic to advanced.
Taught by Indiana University, which is ranked #34 in America’s Top Public Schools, this course is designed to accelerate your career and personal life by understanding and applying the best negotiation strategies available while avoiding costly conflicts.
Within this 4-month online course, which consists of video lectures, live negotiations, and team-based interactions, you will quickly acquire the skills to become a skilled negotiator and have the opportunity to apply those skills by actually negotiating a transaction while working in online, real-time teams.
This program is designed for anyone who wants to gain a competitive advantage in interactions and negotiations, including professionals and students at all levels in any profession that requires communication skills to achieve greater benefits.
The time commitment is well-suited for working professionals looking to balance their learning with other responsibilities, making it a flexible and valuable option for skill development in negotiation.
Highlights
Master The Process: Unlock what makes a successful negotiation, including how to build trust and rapport, develop a full understanding of the transaction, and the necessary skills for creative problem-solving that works to your advantage.
Become An Expert Business Negotiator: By dealing effectively with unexpected problems in a business negotiation, such as conflicting objectives, cultural differences, and differing opinions.
Apply & Upskill Immediately: Learn how to negotiate complex transactions in a live, team-based, online setting with the goal of achieving optimal results for both yourself and your clients.
Become Politically-Savvy: Become harder to say no to and increase your cultural intelligence by understanding the role of political factors in business negotiations and understanding their impacts.
Learn From The Best: Receive only the best education from Jay Gary Finkelstein, a professor at Stanford Law School, who brings over 30 years of experience in corporate and securities law. specializing in international and domestic negotiated transactions.
Track Your Progress To Success: Receive feedback on your negotiation performance through scheduled debriefings, allowing you to assess and improve your skills at each stage of the negotiation process.
Pricing
For the massive features included in the course that are taught by seasoned professionals, it is available at a steeply discounted rate of $583.20, down from the original price of $648.
Bottom Line
The Professional Certificate in Business Negotiations is best suited for anyone who wants to become a better negotiator in business and life, including seasoned veteran professionals to new students aspiring to be in any profession that requires influencing and persuasiveness.
Furthermore, with a 4-month course duration, reaching your course completion ensures that you don’t learn and forget but instead retain your practical knowledge through a recommended 4-6 hours of learning per week.
In my opinion, this timeframe is ideal for maximizing the full value that you can derive from a course, ensuring a deeper understanding of business negotiations, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a more in-depth and immersive learning experience.
2. The Art Of Negotiation by Chris Voss (MasterClass) ($120/year)
Overview
The Art of Negotiation by Chris Voss, a former FBI lead hostage negotiator, is an outstanding course that brings the years of expertise and wisdom of a trained negotiator right to your screen.
With years of handling high-stakes negotiations, such as convincing terrorists, bank robbers, and kidnappers to comply with his point of view, Chris Voss imparts his battle-tested methods to increase your success rate in your daily negotiations.
Whether you’re aiming for a salary increase, improving the services you receive, or enhancing your relationships, you will understand how to get stronger communication skills, obtain game-changing insights into human nature, and extract more of what you want out of life.
Throughout the 18 video lessons, totaling 3 hours and 4 minutes, Chris Voss shares his wealth of knowledge, breaking down the art of negotiation into easily digestible lessons.
Highlights
The course is exceptionally well-structured, starting with the fundamentals and progressively diving deeper into advanced negotiation strategies.
Learn Easily, Apply Quickly: With 18 information-packed lessons, each lesson is broken into separate modules for you to understand easily and apply them quickly.
Get Fully Immersed: With an engaging teaching style, Voss combines real-world examples, practical exercises, and role-playing scenarios to make the learning experience engaging and hands-on.
Immediate Real-Life Application: With real-world applications, Voss distills complex negotiation tactics into practical, actionable advice suitable for beginners and experienced negotiators.
Lifelong Resources: Remember all the lessons taught with course materials, including PDF workbooks and transcripts, which are available for reference and further study.
Pricing
MasterClass provides three simple and affordable annual membership options to suit different preferences and group sizes.
The Individual membership, priced at $120 per year, offers single users complete access to the MasterClass catalog.
The Duo membership, costing $180 per year, caters to pairs of users who wish to share the learning experience.
Lastly, the Family membership, available at $240 per year, extends access to multiple users within the same household.
Bottom Line
The Art of Negotiation by Chris Voss on MasterClass is best suited for individuals and professionals looking to enhance their negotiation skills, from beginners to experienced negotiators.
Chris Voss’s expert insights, real-world examples, and practical exercises make this course valuable for anyone seeking to excel in negotiations.
If you’re serious about enhancing your negotiation skills, I strongly recommend exploring this course and taking advantage of Chris Voss’s expertise.
While MasterClass doesn’t offer a free trial, it has a 30-day money-back guarantee, ensuring you can experience the course risk-free and make an informed decision.
3. Successful Negotiation: Master Your Negotiating Skills (Udemy) ($87)
Overview
Successful Negotiation: Master Your Negotiating Skills by Chris Croft is a highly-rated bestseller course on Udemy with 75,000+ students and 20,000+ reviews averaging 4.6 stars.
With 10 sections, 45 lectures, and a total duration of 2 hours and 13 minutes, it’s a concise yet effective resource for honing negotiation skills.
Chris Croft’s practical teaching style and real-world examples make it accessible to all levels of learners.
The course is praised for its actionable strategies, offering insights on building rapport, handling objections, and achieving win-win outcomes.
If you’re strapped for time, I’d recommend this as your choice for mastering negotiation in a short time.
Highlights
Increase Your Negotiating Strategies: Increase your bargaining power in personal and professional situations with smart tactics
Learn To Negotiate On Anything: Bargain over a broad spectrum of deals, from corporate agreements to flea market haggles.
Counter Your Opponent’s Negotiation: Recognize and counteract common negotiation tactics to protect your stance and your profit.
Understanding Tradeables: Understand the concept of tradables and why they are crucial in negotiations.
Effective Phrases and Tactics: Master simple negotiation phrases and tactics for achieving your desired outcomes.
Pricing
The course is currently available at $87, ensuring you get the most value for your investment.
Bottom Line
Successful Negotiation: Master Your Negotiating Skills by Chris Croft may come with a higher price tag relative to its shorter duration, especially at the original price, but it offers a substantial advantage by providing an extensive collection of downloadable resources.
These valuable materials enhance the learning experience, providing practical tools and techniques for effective negotiation.
Why Is Negotiation Important?
Negotiation is critically important as it empowers individuals with the skills and strategies necessary to excel in interactions across any area of their lives.
From achieving successful business deals to resolving personal conflicts, the ability to negotiate effectively is a cornerstone of success.
In the world of business, it’s a fundamental skill for securing favorable contracts, agreements, and partnerships.
On a personal level, negotiation is invaluable for resolving conflicts, whether they arise in relationships, workplaces, or within communities.
Real estate transactions hinge on effective negotiation, enabling successful property purchases, sales, and lease agreements.
This is precisely why finding the best negotiation course is essential, as it provides the knowledge and expertise needed to navigate complex negotiations, secure favorable outcomes, and build stronger relationships—both personally and professionally.
Mastering this skill becomes a powerful tool for personal and career growth.
My Take
Negotiation is applicable in every area of our lives and the people who can master it often see practical results that benefits them.
The best negotiation courses above are comprehensive, practical, and tailored to your specific goals and offer the best opportunities for mastering the art of negotiation.
A worthwhile online negotiation course should cover essential topics such as negotiation strategies, communication skills, conflict resolution, and ethical considerations.
It should include real-world case studies, role-playing exercises, and opportunities to practice negotiation techniques.
Whether your focus is on practical, hands-on skills, comprehensive and in-depth content, or the wisdom imparted by seasoned experts, the best negotiation courses we’ve highlighted in this guide cater to a variety of preferences and objectives.
The key is to align your choice with your goals and preferences, ensuring that you gain valuable skills in negotiation that can be applied effectively in various aspects of life.
FAQ
Still deciding which of the best negotiation courses is right for you?
