The Program for Research and Outreach on Gender Equity in Society (PROGRESS) aims to improve society by helping women and girls improve their skills in diplomacy and bargaining, said Ayana Ledford, executive director of the nonprofit.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Making PROGRESS: Program Aims To Help Students Become Better Negotiators
The Program for Research and Outreach on Gender Equity in Society (PROGRESS) aims to improve society by helping women and girls improve their skills in diplomacy and bargaining, said Ayana Ledford, executive director of the nonprofit.
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6 comments:
As someone currently in a negotiation class I have a lot of thoughts about the ways that one can improve their negotiation skills. First off, reading a book is great, but sometimes it is really hard to get at what the point of the book is. Secondly, a lecture on the concepts or standard tactics is great, but is not the most effective to me because you are just hearing what these things are, and not putting them into practice. Finally, role playing negotiations is really great, but sometimes can get pretty awkward and thus are not taken that seriously. I truly think that the best way to become a better negotiator is to just get as much real experience (where there are actual stakes involved) negotiating as possible. This is because you are getting to apply the things that you are learning by reading the book, hearing the lecture, and doing the role plays.
I am so glad that I attend a university that supports women and the equalization of the gender gap in society today. Also, it is awe-inspiring that my university attacks this problem in a forward thinking and productive way. I am a firm believer that complaining and fussing about an issue will never cause change. Instead preparing yourself to face that adversity and making it so that no one can tell you otherwise is the most effective way to create change. Improve yourself so no one can say no or as my mother would call it "kill them with kindness." This negotiation class at Carnegie Mellon University will help provide female students, and any other minority, be able to properly speak their mind in all situations and protect their opinions and rights. In fact I personally believe this is an important class for all Carnegie Mellon students. Well done Carnegie Mellon University. I am proud to be apart of you as a university because you are proud of me as a student, showing this through your respect of me as a woman.
This is incredible. I know that I often find myself taking on more than I can handle because I don't know how to say no, or even just negotiate. What ever reason that might be, maybe because I am a women, or I have anxiety, it doesn't matter, this kind of program look like it is something I would benefit from. I think that at our school where their is easily more men than women, this is something that can really help all the students. I do always think that these come with a sad side, that their is a need to implement these programs, because we do not know how to stand up for ourself in a profession sense, and as the article points out, the day to day things too. As Delaney mentioned above the phrase, "kill them with kindness" I think is so valuable, and I really hope that the kind of negotiation skills this program emphasizes, that it is not about being the loudest person in the room to get your voice heard, and that small acts of kindness between people will go so much further than being demanding in a work place. I hope this program goes well here, as I know we need it.
This is excellent. I would be very interested in taking a negotiation class geared toward both interpersonal relationships (“casual”) and professional situations like asking for a raise or a more flexible schedule. I’ve certainly been conditioned by gender norms despite having parents who encouraged me to be opinionated and do whatever I wanted despite gender expectations. I still feel uncomfortable asking for, well, just about anything from employers – I feel like their employment of me is a favor and asking for more could be perceived as ungrateful. On top of that, I feel at a loss on where to even begin. I have no idea what to say, how to say it, or when to say it. A program like this would help: feeling like I have the skills to ask for “more” would give me the confidence to have the necessary conversation.
I think it’s wonderful that they have an initiative for young girls (7 sounds just about the right age,) because I think that is around them time when children start experiencing the influence of cultural gender norms.
This sounds like a really good program and it’s encouraging to see that CMU is part of the ongoing process of closing the gender gap. While going out and protesting and being an activist for change is really good, it’s important to also equip people with the means to help themselves to overcome these challenges. Even just being in the school of drama, and not in this program, I am already gaining skills in negotiation, though outright learning and practicing ways to ask for things is not the focus of any of my classes and I would be interested to check out this program. Learning these things in the light of a casual environment would definitely help to ease the stress of the real negotiation because asking your boss for a wage is something that seems really big and scary, but if you practice it everyday and in a non stressful situation, it can help normalize the situation. I really like that they are not just focusing on college aged people, though I am grateful that they are, this kind of learning is most effective when you’re still young and haven’t been consciously, or subconsciously, pushed into gender roles.
As most people in comments section have said this is an amazing program, and I’m proud to be part of a school that creates a program like this. In all honesty, I think I should enter a program like this. Like others, I do have a sort of anxiety when it comes to negotiating, to the point where if I am negotiating for something I want, I immediately lower my standards, and force myself to be content with the lowest amount. Which isn’t good at all, and something I’m trying to work out. But I think there is a far greater thing that this program is attributing to, and that is not only negotiating in order to close the gender gap, but having a reasonable conversation with someone you might or might not disagree with. With the current times and the divide between people (I’m mostly talking about liberals vs conservatives/ republicans vs democrats), it so easy to get angry and frustrated at the other side without fully hearing them out, which could lead to violence instead of an understanding. So even for those who think they are at a pretty good advantage, I think it is important for everyone to take this program or a program like it, not just for yourself but for others as well.
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