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Gareth Knight, Tech4Africa on the five big future tech trends that will affect Africa

#Smart Monkey TV #Africa #tech trends #tech #Tech4Africa #Gareth Knight

Tech4Africa today! #tech4africa #CPT (at Greenpoint Stadium)

Confidently Confident at Tech4Africa

It’s another engaging day here at the iHub. Today marks the start of the 2014 Tech4Africa conference series. Kicking off in Nairobi, this daylong event calls itself the “un-conference” of Africa’s tech community. The creation of South African technologist Gareth Knight, Tech4Africa provides young entrepreneurs insights into running successful tech businesses. What I appreciate most about Gareth’s approach is his emphasis on human interaction. In an industry dominated by gadgets and gizmos, Gareth provides a striking reminder that technology is nothing without intelligent, confident, and connected people.

This morning I was lucky enough to deliver my own negotiation seminar at Tech4Africa. At first I was a bit nervous as only 10 people had registered for the presentation, but within five minutes the room had filled with over 60 tech wizzes looking for tricks of the negotiation trade. The 30-minute session went quite well, with lots of laughter and some especially thoughtful questions from the audience.

I’d like to share one question in particular…as I get it time and time again from African entrepreneurs: How can I negotiate effectively against a more powerful, more experienced competitor? While there is no way to overlook your opponents’ background, wealth, or stature, I do think that two techniques can help level the playing field.

First, develop greater confidence. Confidence is at the root of any great negotiator. While no one wants to negotiate with a braggart or a blowhard, a confident negotiator is an effective negotiator. But one cannot develop confidence spontaneously. It takes proper preparation and practice as well as thorough due diligence on the opposing party. Consider this: People practice for sporting events and rehearse for talent shows, but how often do they systematically prepare for an important negotiation. Practice can help breed confidence.

Second, cultivate trust. Trust is something difficult to develop but dangerously easy to destroy. I believe that establishing an environment of trust can offset a palpable power imbalance. One simple (but surprisingly unused!) approach to foster trust is to sit on the same side of the table as the opposing party. Another is to allow your counterpart access to your negotiation notes or selected strategy documents. While these techniques may seem radical to some, I am confident that promoting trust through transparency encourages more productive negotiations, and ultimately, better long-term relationships.

My TED-style talk was only one of many exciting pitches at today’s Tech4Africa launch. This afternoon I plan to attend a session titled “Changing the African Mindset: Efficiency and Problem Solving are Intertwined” and another quirky briefing called “From Bedroom Entrepreneur to Social Entrepreneur”. Events like Tech4Africa are only the beginning for East Africa. There is much more on the horizon for the small but powerful cohort of Kenya’s changemakers growing up along the edge of change.

#negotiation #tech4africa #ihub