How to negotiate better

As a scientist, you often have to make a case for a higher salary, adequate research facilities or a better work-life balance. Negotiation ‘is a critical skill that comes with professional life in general – it’s not just for people in business or law,’ says Richard Shell, author of Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, US. ‘When you’re negotiating, you’re trading things, getting the things that are scarce, and getting your fair share of them.’ To increase your chances of success, try some of the following approaches.