Skills that set Androvians Apart | Negotiations
Good negotiation is about more than getting what you want. It requires listening carefully, understanding different perspectives, communicating clearly and finding a way forward when interests do not align.
St Andrew’s College has developed a Short Courses program designed to help students build these skills alongside their university studies.
The Negotiations Short Course is a six-week, hands-on program that gives students the opportunity to practice negotiation in scenarios ranging from closing deals to resolving conflict. Each session combines theory with role-play exercises, allowing students to test different negotiation strategies.
Facilitated by Ryan Cheng, a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Sydney and Head of Business at St Andrew’s College, the course explores strategies such as making the first offer, creating mutually beneficial outcomes, and managing challenging conversations.
Designed for students from all disciplines, the course gives students the chance to build confidence, strengthen their communication skills and develop their ability to influence an outcome.
Studying International Relations and Politics, Kenya Woodborne (Fr 2025) was drawn to the course to broaden her professional knowledge while developing the critical thinking and strategic skills the modern workplace demands.
Learning through experience
Unlike a traditional university class, the Negotiations course places students at the centre of the learning experience.
Rather than simply listening to a lecture or following a prescribed framework, students take part in role-plays, boardroom simulations, and group discussions where they develop and test their own approaches.
The student-led environment allowed Kenya to develop her own negotiation style and bring her personality into the room.
The practical exercises also challenged Kenya’s assumptions about what makes an effective negotiator. While she initially expected successful negotiation to involve taking a firm position and pursuing it strongly, the exercises showed that compromise and finding common ground were just as important.
Learning to find the middle ground between competing interests became central to the experience.
Finding your approach
The role-play environment also gave students a chance to learn more about their own communication and negotiation styles.
Kenya found herself naturally drawn to taking an active role in negotiations, enjoying the energy of discussion and the challenge of developing and presenting a strategy.
At the same time, the course reinforced the importance of listening and understanding the other side of a negotiation before responding.
The exercises showed that effective negotiation requires both confidence and active listening – knowing when to advocate for a position, when to listen and when to look for a solution that works for everyone involved.
Learning beyond the degree
The Negotiations Short Course is part of a broader program at St Andrew’s that gives students opportunities to develop practical skills alongside their university studies.
Bringing students from different disciplines together, these courses create a different kind of learning environment where students can develop practical skills through experience, discussion and reflection.
While Negotiations is designed to develop practical skills, the experience isn’t without its lighter moments. Putting different personalities into a simulated negotiation environment inevitably creates some memorable, and occasionally funny, exchanges.
This combination of practical learning, diverse perspectives, and shared experience makes the short courses a distinctive part of the St Andrew’s student experience.