Competitors Learning Experiences 

Thank you! Attending the competition was a great experience. I have had similar experiences in an NGO context, I was responsible for the fund raising side and for initiating and maintaining relationships with corporate partners. I liked the fact that the situations were a bit unexpected (we were supposed to meet with project manager but we had only one new employee present). At the same time, the briefs provided a lot of details, which helps in preparation. I'm glad I had this opportunity!

Taking part in this project was a great way to improve my negotiation skills and gain experience in a simulated environment.

The first step in preparing for this competition was to understand the topic discussed and develop a plan based on the scenario received. During the preparation stage, I set goals and analyzed any objections I might receive to prepare an answer scheme that I could develop during the online negotiation. Each stage of the competition was different. In the first stage, knowing the details and preparing before the negotiation helped me a lot because, understanding the context, I could ask questions and wish to find out more details about the company. In the semifinal stage, I had to pay more attention to the technological preparation part because I had a small connectivity problem. Afterwards, I thought I was always late, and I hurried up a bit on my presentation. Because of this problem, I was no longer coherent enough to maintain the plan I had developed for this stage. My opponent's preparation in the semi-final impressed me, and it was a pleasure to be part of this project. In conclusion, from now on, I will definitely prepare better for a negotiation and consider all the aspects such as Clarity of Communication, Active Listening, Time Management, Stages of the Negotiation Process, Technological Preparation, and definitely a Positive Mentality, whatever happens.

 My participation in the negotiation competition was a positive experience. This year, the topic of the contest was a job interview, and I had the opportunity to apply for a fictitious position of Sales Development Representative (SDR) at Muovitech. It was a unique opportunity to test and develop my negotiation and communication skills. During this interview, I was challenged to demonstrate persuasiveness, adaptability and conflict management skills, and this challenge was truly engaging. One of the things that impressed me the most about the competition was how the organizers managed to create an authentic experience, even though I only interacted via Zoom. The organizing team did their best to create a realistic environment for the interview, and this added an extra dose of realism to the negotiations. In conclusion, participating in this competition helped me develop my negotiation skills, better understand the hiring process and gain valuable experience in online communication and negotiation. I am grateful for this opportunity and would highly recommend this competition to anyone looking to improve their negotiation skills.

I reread what I learned in my first-year Negotiation classes but didn’t pay enough attention to the requirements emailed before the competition. The experience was positive, and the fact that the local stage was an interview was a practical idea, especially for the students preparing for real job market searches. I’ve learned a very personal lesson that will help me in the future. It’s not the first time that, due to lack of attention and overburdening myself, I didn’t prepare as I should for a task, as it happened this time, but the discomfort I felt will be a reminder not to repeat this pattern. I was very curious about the later stages of the competition, and I regret not participating in them, as it would have been a good test of the knowledge I gained last year in Negotiation classes.

 It is a practical idea that puts students in situations relevant to real life, and I would participate in more such events.

Overall this was an interesting experience. I work in sales, but in B2C, and I think it was a good opportunity to test my skills in a B2B context. It can be seen though that the project is still in its early stages but I think it has great potential for development. Where I saw room for improvement is in the flow of the discussion. It seems to me that the counter-candidates are too fixated on the brief and do not give a free flow to the discussion. Both in the pre-selection and at this stage I tried to ask questions for the client qualification but the partners were not very receptive. Very cool project overall! Congratulations!

For the negotiation competition that was held in our faculty, at first, I prepared by thinking about different points that I could reach in online negotiations. More specific, I listed different topics that could be addressed in such context. Another part of my preparation process was acknowledging my strengths and weaknesses in regard to negotiations and realised that one point I was holding was nervousness and stage fright. I tried various exercises to mitigate this. One personal strength I wanted to exploit was based on my previous research: I had well-defined and very good arguments (i.e. the fact that I knew the necessary facts about the subject to be discussed). As an experience, I found the competition very interesting because it took me out of my comfort zone and helped me figure out where I should work more on regarding the negotiation process and expressing my opinion on certain topics. I learned that it's okay to be nervous and provided that you prepare well enough for what you want to say and say it with confidence, you will become credible and appreciated for your opinion. Unfortunately I haven't participated in other activities as such, but in the future it is very possible that I will take part in this kind of negotiation competitions and I want to develop further in this direction. I believe it’s very important for every student to partake in this kind of initiatives and competitions because it teaches us to express our point of view, to support it and to gradually let go of nervousness and fear of expressing ourselves. It is an exercise that brings many benefits to our personal development, and from my point of view, this competition brought out positive aspects about my capabilities, but also aspects that I can still work on and improve in the future.

2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_9AJFDbUto

2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDiiOke6yjo

2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz2hzetM2VY