Negotiating and Lobbying

Negotiating and Lobbying Jessica KayCaldwell CollegeOverview Negotiation: The behavioral way

The need for negotiating and lobbying

Lobbying

Tips on Negotiation

Questions/CommentsSourcesBailey, J., & Burch, M. (2010). 25 essential skills and strategies for the professional behavior analyst. New York, NY: Routledge.

Winning means both sides gain something, and it goes a long way toward building your reputation and helping you in the future

IntroductionThe business of providing behavioral services

Pseudosciences & Fads it is our job to sell our business

Not enough to be a good clinician Bailey & Burch, 2010IntroductionAlso helpful when asking for:A raiseBetter working conditionsAdditional staff or resources

Bailey & Burch, 2010Negotiation: The Behavioral WayPre-Meeting Behaviors:Identify your goals

Do your homework

Come to the meeting prepared Bailey & Burch, 2010Identify your goals: What do you want? What is your end result?Do your Homework: Who will be at the meeting? Know who might resist your approach. Come Prepared: Bring data and graphs that are ready to be discussed. Have an agenda. 7Negotiation: The Behavioral WayIn the meeting behaviors:Identify the in-charge person

Present your position

Understand the other sideBailey & Burch, 2010Identify the person in-charge: Dont waste time talking to the wrong person. If you want to see a change, seek the person who can make that happen. Present your position: Make it clear what you want and how you want to achieve it. Provide a brief summary of the situation. Understand the other side: Ask what the main issues are. Common issue: taking data in classroom settings. 8Negotiation: The Behavioral WayIdentify compromise

Summarize the agreement

Know when to walkBailey & Burch, 2010Identify compromise: What do we agree on? Find some common ground and work your way from there. Summarize the agreement: This is done verbally and provided in written form. Know when to walk: refuse to provide services for unethical situations. 9When is negotiation important?Negotiation is important when the behavior analyst is put into a situation where a behavior plan might be rejected by their non-behavioral colleagues. It is common that a company might blame lack of resources for not wanting to take time to train and mentor staff members on certain protocols. 10Why do we negotiate? Relatively new field

Literature came from education

The special classroom

Sent to school counselor for fixing Bailey & Burch, 2010Behavior analysis is a relatively new field. Children have been presenting behavioral issues for years and the literature that has been documented for treating these issues comes out of the field of education. Early views on behavioral issues placed blame on the child. Some schools, still use methods that involve taking the child out of the classroom and sending them to a special classroom or to talk to their guidance counselor. These interventions dont have a strong database to show that they actually work. We can see the effects of negative reinforcement for the teachers when problem children are simply taken out of the classroom. 11Why do we negotiate?Now, the behavior analyst comes in

Look for causal variables & function

What is often found:Child needs new academic tasks and receives reinforcement for disruptive behaviorBailey & Burch, 201012

What do you do?Tell the teacher to change her behavior?

Ask her to reinforce behavior to a child she has come to dislike? Bailey & Burch, 2010Lobbying Organized attempts to influence legislators

For us: influence actions of others

Our special interest group: the child

What we recommend: specific set of changesBailey & Burch, 2010For behavior analysts, our job as lobbyists is to influence the actions of others to have a positive outcome. In most cases, the person we have to convince to be on our side is the teacher of the classroom. 15Before meeting with the teacherEstablish yourself as a reinforcer

Observe what their reinforcers are and provide them

Offer to help out in the classroom Bailey & Burch, 2010Step 1 is to establish yourself as a reinforcer to the teacher. Present yourself as a non-threatening person who loves kids. Observe what the teachers reinforcers are and provide them. For example, if she has a butterfly bulletin in her room maybe bring her a book about butterflies. However, make sure to remember your ethics! 16Before meeting with the teacherAsk questions to get information

Always reply with Thank you that really helps me understand _____ better. I appreciate it.

Observe how well the teacher might adapt to changeBailey & Burch, 2010After observing a child, you might have a conversation with the teacher. Ex: I noticed Johnny gets really antsy whenever you assign math problems. What can you tell me about this? Also, observe how well the teacher might adapt to change in her classroom. This will help you know how to pitch your position. 17Before meeting with the teacherAssess the teachers response

Take it slow

Committee: get to know everyone individuallyBailey & Burch, 2010Some people might be opposed to change. It is important that the behavior analyst probe their ideas first and take it slow. Once an idea is rejected, it is harder to get the teacher to be on your side. If you are presenting your idea to a committee, get to know each member individually. Try to talk to them before the meeting and even bounce some ideas off of them to get a feel for what their position is. 18Tips on negotiation Dream BIG!

Know your non-negotiable point

Feel, Felt, and Found Formula Bailey & Burch, 2010Dream big: ask for more than you expect to get. Recommend as many hours of treatment as you can, but make sure you reach a point where it is nonnegotiable. For example, the authors recommend a threshold of 20 hours per week. Feel, felt, and found formula: I understand how you feel, other people have felt the same way, but do you know what we have found? 19

References Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2010). 25 essential skills and strategies for the professional behavior analyst. New York, NY: Routledge.

Negotiating and Lobbying Jessica KayCaldwell College