Negotiation course now available on JKO Published Sept. 26, 2013 By Jodi L. Jordan Air Force Culture and Language Center Outreach Team MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- A new course is now available on Joint Knowledge Online to support the continuing need for Department of Defense members to effectively engage with partners in culturally-diverse environments. The Defense Language and National Security Education Office, the JKO program office and Air University's Negotiation Center of Excellence have developed the Cross-Cultural Negotiations course to help DoD members improve these key leadership skills. The CCN course is an interactive learning experience that gives users a framework to determine and employ essential negotiation strategies. Key objectives covered in the course include the language of negotiations, cultural cues affecting negotiations and engaging skills lab exercises where students can apply knowledge from the course. This knowledge is critical not just for military engagements, but in everyday life, according to Dr. Stefan Eisen, the director of the NCE and one of the course developers. "Virtually every problem-solving process contains some type of negotiation," Eisen said. "If you think about it, we engage in negotiations on a daily basis. We negotiate with co-workers, superiors, subordinates and even family members." Regardless of the situation, negotiation skills are imperative for today's DoD force, he added. "As members of the Department of Defense face the increasingly complex security challenges of the 21st century, interaction with other cultures is a critical element that contributes to the success or failure of the mission," Eisen said. "The CCN course provides practical training to enhance the ability of individuals to perform successfully over the full spectrum of operations." To access JKO and take the CCN course, see their website at http://jko.jfcom.mil and search for "negotiations." There are three separate mission-specific courses available. For more information on the NCE, see their website at http://culture.af.mil/nce.