Negotiation Works

Negotiation Works provides negotiation and self-advocacy training for people who are emerging from difficult and often traumatic situations–such as incarceration, homelessness, addiction, and domestic violence–so they develop the skills to navigate everyday challenges and live the next chapters in their lives confidently and productively.  

By negotiation strategies we mean communication and persuasion tools for: (a) engaging in self-advocacy in situations such as obtaining needed services or arranging a workable job schedule and (b) resolving disputes and everyday conflicts involving work, housing, family, and other situations. Participants learn that using negotiation skills to work through employment, housing, family, and other situations is more effective in achieving good outcomes for themselves than other, more reflexive approaches, which easily devolve into demanding, arguing, pleading, or avoiding and rarely result in good outcomes. Instead, negotiation skills provide a sense of security, control, and satisfaction in dealing with life’s many personal and professional challenges. 

Since 2018, Negotiation Works has provided services to a broad range of marginalized populations through partnerships with key DC-area community organizations. To date, we have taught nearly 75 multi-week courses and served nearly 800 individuals. We train volunteer instructors to teach the classes at our partner community service providers.