What an amazing morning! LLCEO team members joined with students from Central IL CEO and Mt Zion IL CEO to attend "The Art of Negotiation" with Dr. Honey Zimmerman, business professor at Western Illinois University.

Did you know? Only 7% of the message received is the words you say. The other 93% is your tone of voice and other nonverbal communication. Students spent the morning learning about this aspect of communication as well as managing conflict and making it productive, emotional intelligence, self-awareness and self-management, and tips for having difficult conversations in the workplace.

They also learned what it takes to be a great negotiator. Some tips included
to ask lots of questions, be an engaged listener, shed assumptions, and maintain explicit ethical guidelines no matter what others do. And remember: NO deal is better than a BAD deal!

"The objective is not to eliminate conflict, but to learn how to manage it to control the destructive elements while enjoying the productive aspects."

Our young entrepreneurs had a great time mixing with students from other area CEO programs - it was a nice change of pace to be with others who are on the same path and working toward similar goals!

Dr. Zimmerman has been sharing her expertise with CEO programs since 2014. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with our group today!