What I learned as a union negotiator

And how that made me a better content designer

I’ve been a content expert for my whole career - starting as a print editor and moving into digital, when websites were still considered the sole domain of developers. Ten years later, when content design as a profession exploded onto the digital scene, I moved into that space, both as a practitioner and as a strategic lead delivering digital projects that met user needs.

Throughout all that time, I was also a senior officer of a union branch. That meant I was a key negotiator on matters concerning pay, terms and conditions, restructuring - all the big stuff. My ability to negotiate changed people’s working lives. And this was grounded in my knowledge of the stakeholders I faced across the negotiating table.

On my training course, ‘Stakeholder management for content designers’, I always tell my content designers that they are lucky. And if you’re a content designer reading this, I’ll tell you the same thing - you are lucky to be in your role. Not because you get to play with content (although that is fab); and not because what you do has a direct effect on end users (although that is also amazing); and not even because you have to keep learning to be good at your job (one of the reasons I never stopped loving the job).

No. The reason I think you’re lucky to be a content designer is because you have to learn to negotiate, which isn’t true for a lot of other professions. If you think of developers, for example, they generally don’t have to negotiate with anyone to do their job. But you do. And not only is negotiating one of the key skills in your arsenal, but you can learn it. And it will benefit you in all aspects of your life.

Here are just 5 things that I learned as a union negotiator:

1. You need to understand the big picture

Whatever you are negotiating as a union rep, you need to understand the context you are working in, the priorities of the institution, and the rules and regulations that the institution has signed up to. In other words, the big picture. Because if you don’t know those things, then you don’t know what is important to the people you are negotiating with, and that will hamstring your ability to progress.

I once went into a negotiation over pay with the senior management, representing my branch members who were on strike. I knew that the management wanted to resolve this situation, but I also knew that the college was struggling with significant budget constraints, and that they wouldn’t be allowed to match our pay demands.

So I flexed. Although I knew that my members wanted the money, I also knew that wasn’t the only thing they wanted from their employers. So I proposed that the college increase my members’ annual leave entitlement alongside a nominal increase in pay. The management considered this - and agreed. And my members? Voted yes to accept the offer.

Content negotiation is no different: understanding the ‘big picture’ will help you. Because if you don’t understand the context and the priorities for the people you are negotiating with - maybe they need to hit an external deadline; or their manager has restricted the time they have to attend to this problem - then your suggestion that a web page should be entirely rewritten will be met with considerable resistance. And possible irritation. And that’s going to result in someone - possibly you - feeling undermined.

If you understand the big picture, you will be in a better position to pitch your ideas in a way that will land with your stakeholders. So it’s worth learning.

2. You can’t negotiate with someone you don’t know

If you don’t know anything about the person you’re negotiating with, you can’t progress. It’s that simple.

And that’s because people aren’t their roles; they’re people. And they have drives and motivations and interests and experiences that influence what happens today. And all of these things play into how they relate to other people. And how they negotiate.

Before every negotiating meeting, my union colleagues and I would have a ‘caucus meeting’, where we would figure out who would be in front of us, what we needed to get out of meeting with them, who would ask what questions, and what things we might say that would land with them. The management we negotiated with would do exactly the same thing before meeting with us. So we would each go into each negotiating meeting having an idea of how to relate to the person or people sitting across the table from us, because we had already considered what we knew about them. And what was likely to resonate. And that meant we could make progress.

If you are in meeting with a stakeholder - as in anyone who has a stake in the project and outcome - you need to know something about them in order to negotiate with them. If you don’t know anything about them - say you’ve just been told to go to a meeting with people you’ve never met or engaged with - then don’t try to negotiate. You’ll make no progress and you’ll feel bad.

Instead, use the time to ask questions and to listen. Learn what you can from them and about them, and then come back another day.

3. Trust is more important than grammar

If the person you’re negotiating with doesn’t trust you, you won’t get anywhere.

I once went into a negotiation with a member of HR on a new policy for the institution. When the meeting was over, we had talked about and agreed how the policy should be amended to reflect concerns. At our next meeting, we should have been in a position to sign off the revised document.

Only, when that HR negotiator came back, they hadn’t made any of our agreed changes. So in that moment, they pivoted - from a good faith to a bad faith negotiating position. Which meant that we no longer trusted them. Which meant that no further progress could be made until we were sitting across the table from someone we trusted, someone who was able to make the changes that were agreed at our meeting. We refused to work with her any longer, and the HR department had to hand the negotiations to someone else.

The same held true for me - I had to negotiate with integrity and honesty, to ensure the best result. So if I said I could deliver on something, I had to deliver on that promise. And if I thought I couldn’t deliver, or I had to refer something back to fellow branch officers or our members, I would say so. Because if you’re a union negotiator, you’re dealing with really important things, like people’s pay, or terms and conditions, or the structure of the organisation. So you can’t afford to take risks. And that means you need to be trust-worthy.

It’s the same in a content design context. If your counterpart doesn’t trust you, you won’t make progress. And it doesn’t matter how good you are at your job, or what knowledge you have, or how good you are at grammar. Or even who you know. Without trust, you’re just another potential obstacle to someone getting their work done.

So next time you struggle with a stakeholder, ask yourself. Do they trust you? And, if not, what can you do about it?

4. Compromise is a tactic, not a failure

I’ve worked with numerous content designers for whom compromise is seen as a dirty word. As if it means ‘giving in’.

If you go into a content negotiation and agree something other than you thought you wanted or needed, that doesn’t mean you ‘lost’. This isn’t a zero sum game, where there are winners and losers. All it means is that you came up with a different outcome because maybe you learned something new. Or maybe you decided to focus on one thing rather than another.

As a content designer, if I went into a negotiation with a stakeholder, I would always try to have at least 3 ideas I was happy with - and I would try not to be wedded to any of them (although I might prefer one to another). Having different options meant that I had a lot of scope for negotiating - and also the possibility of getting something better than what I came up with myself.

Learning to compromise doesn’t make you a loser. It widens your scope - and also confers on you the magical perception of pragmatism - which will help you and help the people you’re negotiating with.

5. Time is your friend

In union negotiating situations, both sides are usually able to call a ‘recess’. That means taking out some time to consider new information or new proposals that have been tabled.

Generally, it means leaving the room and having a discussion with your fellow negotiators to consider how to respond. Sometimes, the response will be that we need even more time, and will come back another day to respond.

The point is, if you’re in a negotiation, you shouldn’t rush to agreement - not if it’s important. And slowing things down and asking for more time is going to help you get to a better result. Particularly if things have started to get heated. If you’re at that stage, you really need to take a breather.

If you’re talking to a stakeholder and they demand something from you - say they want you to sign off immediately on something they’re written or they’re pushing you to publish something you’re concerned about (because maybe they’re working to a tight deadline), then think about buying time. Ask them if you can think about this - or maybe tell them you need to consult with your manager or some other gatekeeper. Think about a reasonable timeline to come back to them and check it with them. Then use the time you’ve just negotiated to do more work - learn more about the big picture, the people you’re in front of, or to think about the best solution you can reach together.

This will give you a much better chance of getting somewhere you are comfortable with, as well as helping you take ownership of the situation.

Want to know more?

Hi. I’m Jane Van de Ban. After decades of working in the UK public sector, I now work for myself, so I can spend time on what I love.

One of the big drivers throughout my career has been helping other people. That’s why I was a union activist for so many years. And that driver still motivates me.

I’m now focusing on 2 things:

1. Stakeholder management training for content designers: managing stakeholders is one of the hardest things you can do as a content designer, but it can be learned. That’s why I created this course. There are 2 options:

   1. Stakeholder management training for groups of content designers

   2. Stakeholder management training - individual sign up

2. Coaching and mentoring for content designers: content designers are some of my favourite people. I’ve been a mentor for years, but I’m also now a trained coach. And I really want to work with you.

Please get in touch if you want a chat: jane@roxboro-design.co.uk