TNC is an international tournament in which university graduates from all over the world come to compete in the art of negotiating. This year’s competition was held in the land of the rising sun. Hence, the host and event organizer was the Kyoto University. The Japanese are known for their politeness, respect, traditions and their efficient society. Therefore, this year’s event provided an amazing experience for the four candidates in which cross-cultural interactions were at the forefront.
‘Negotiations are a part of our daily lives regardless of who we are or what we do’
In addition, the competitors were highly skilled professionals from various backgrounds. Engineers, MBA’s, lawyers and even physicists all gathered to join the tournament. After all, negotiations are about bridging differences and creating value for all sides, it is about understanding your counterparts and building relationships, while simultaneously maximizing your own benefits. This goes to show that negotiations are a part of our daily lives regardless of who we are or what we do.
The competition consisted of four negotiation rounds and a final. These rounds all had different themes and required different approaches. All teams could score points in every round and the cumulative of every team were counted and the two highest scoring teams were selected for the finals.
The Twente team secured that finalist spot after two days of fierce competition. With a split-decision between the judges the UT-team was barely awarded as a runner-up. The trophy will be displaced in the Ravelijn building and will symbolize the first steps of the University towards integrating a new field into its repertoire.
Not only did our students secure a top spot in the competition but they also set up a new student organization called Negotiation Project Twente (NPT) which focuses on negotiation and communication skill development of both students and professionals.
With their achievements they wish to take things to the next level and perhaps organize our own national tournament here in Twente, who knows? Only time will tell. What we do know is that there is another competition awaiting our team in Warshaw Poland.
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Managed by Professor Dr. Aldis Sigurdardottir and financially supported by Dr. Holger Schiele and the Purchasing Department the three UT-students were able to participate in the competition.
