THE Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) hosted a one-day seminar yesterday, titled ‘Mastering Win-Win Negotiation Skills’.

Facilitated by Founder and Chief Executive Consultant of CARIGOLD Associates, Ms. Sandra Ann Baptiste, it was held at Regency Suites Hotel, in Hadfield Street, Stabroek, Georgetown, with the participation of approximately 20 representatives from public and private sector companies, including Gizmos and Gadgets; Gafsons Industries Limited;the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) and the Small business Bureau.
The agenda included styles of communication; preparing for negotiations; building relationships and trust and maintaining emotional control; and Baptiste also discussed effective strategies to deal with unfair negotiating tactics.
The programme was aimed at equipping the participants with the tools and techniques to prepare and bargain effectively, build and maintain good relationships, consistently achieve win-win results and become more confident negotiators.
Making remarks at the opening, GMSA President, Mr. Clinton Williams, said it is a timely event since “Mastering Win-Win Negotiation Skills” is of significant importance to any company operating in this era of a globalised environment, faced with continuous challenges to attain and sustain competitive advantage.
He said GMSA’s mission revolves around the provision of institutional capacity to initiate, advocate and promote plans and programmes for the development and growth of the manufacturing and services sectors, in addition to improving their competitiveness.
50th anniversary
Alluding to the fact that the GMSA is commemorating its 50th anniversary this year, Williams said that, over the five decades, it has been largely successful, particularly in enhancing the development and growth of many enterprises operating in the manufacturing and services sectors.
According to him, this has been realised as a result of a number of interventions it initiated and/or delivered, including its relentless pursuance of good governance via sustained and proactive advocacy measures evidenced by a cordial relationship with Government, the political Opposition and other non-state actors.
Additionally, he said GMSA has been building national, regional and international linkages among other business support organisations and donor agencies.
Williams informed that they are, currently, in the process of establishing a fashion design cluster industry in Guyana, with a view to positively pursuing lucrative opportunities in the multi-billion U.S. dollar international fashion business, utilising funding provided by the Caribbean Export Development Agency under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) programme.
He expressed gratitude to the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Robert Kopecky, who sought to assist them in this regard.
Main pillars
Williams said advocacy with the implicit requirement for negotiation is one of the main pillars of the association’s thrust towards growth and, in the recent past, they have also sponsored training and sensitisation programmes related to quality control, standardisation, labelling and packaging
He challenged Baptiste to make the workshop as intimate as possible and assured those taking part that the GMSA welcomes feedback on their ability to apply what they learn in their business places.
Kopecky, who is Head of the EU Delegation to Guyana, delivered the keynote address, in which he said it was a very important and commendable exercise.
The diplomat underscored the importance of punctuality in maintaining emotional control and expressed the opinion that Guyana needs a bit of training on “win-win” situations at the political level.