Getting Past No
Because getting past “no” starts with understanding what’s behind it.
At a glance
Why This Matters
Every leader, salesperson, or professional faces resistance — from colleagues, clients, or partners. The ability to move a conversation from “no” to “how” is what separates those who get stuck from those who move things forward.
This workshop helps participants reframe conflict and negotiation as joint problem-solving, not combat. Drawing inspiration from the Harvard Negotiation Project, participants learn how to stay calm under pressure, listen for interests behind positions, and find creative options for mutual gain. Through simulations and reflection, they discover that persuasion is less about power — and more about empathy, preparation, and persistence.
Research by Harvard Business Review found that negotiators who focus on understanding interests rather than asserting positions reach agreement more often and sustain longer-term relationships.
75%
More Often
25%
Fewer than 25% feel confident presenting to senior stakeholders
Business Impact You’ll See
“You can’t control others’ behaviour. You can only influence it — and that begins with understanding.”
— William Ury
Designed for
Individual Contributors
Sales Professionals
Project Leaders
Managers
Designed the FocusU Way
Behind every FocusU experience lies a design philosophy we call FACETS:
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F
Feedback
Learners get actionable insight into where they stand
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A
Application
Whatever is learnt is applied within the session itself
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C
Contextual
Examples are drawn from the client industry and organization
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E
Experiential
Learning by doing, not by being told
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T
Tailored
Personalised to the lived experiences of the individual learner
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S
Stimulating
Inspiring new thinking and imagination in the learner
Hover over the card
Walk-Through of Learner Experience
At FocusU, every learning experience follows a deliberate arc – moving participants
from awareness to application, and from insight to action.
| STAGE | WHAT HAPPENS |
|---|---|
| Discover | Participants experience engaging activities, challenges and scenarios that surface real attitudes, assumptions, and patterns of behaviour. |
| Reflect | Guided debriefs and discussions help them make sense of what they experienced - connecting it to their personal and workplace realities. |
| Reframe | Learners explore new mindsets, tools, and frameworks that offer fresh ways to approach everyday challenges. |
| Apply | Through practice, planning, and peer feedback, participants translate insights into actionable commitments they can take back to work. |
Every FocusU intervention is designed to move learners from knowing to doing – ensuring
that learning doesn’t end in the workshop, but continues in how people think, collaborate, and lead.
Trusted by businesses big and small
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FocusU was able to successfully generate high levels of enthusiasm & energy during the training program on Innovative Thinking & Collaboration. This demonstrates their professional approach, ability to correlate industry best practices and expertize in experiential learning programs. The participants could relate the learnings to their functions and take away practically executable action plans.
Ajay Munjal
Tata Communications Ltd. Vice President – Business Operations | Global Enterprise Solutions -
What started as a search for a training vendor on Google has come a long way with several identified FocusU interventions over the years. In each intervention, we have achieved our stated objectives of Learning & Development - like Team building, Collaboration, Decision making in uncertainty, Drive for results, Shared vision etc. among a very diverse group of people.
Rakesh Kher
Minda Distribution & Services Ltd President -
When I first saw your huge clientele that included companies like Adobe, Deustche Bank and E&Y, I wondered - do large companies keep coming back since you're the best at what you do, or have you turned out to be the best at what you do because large companies keep coming back? That list will grow bigger as FocusU has certainly exceeded all expectation at our recent team building event.
Amit Madan
Collage Group HR Manager -
Thank you for the teambuilding and leadership sessions. We commend your ability and skills in understanding our needs and facilitating learning through fun and experiential activities. The exercises gave us with an opportunity to reflect and assess our performance; and to think about our strengths and weakness in working as an individual and most importantly, as team members towards a common goal.
Roseleen Gurung
Tarayana Foundation Program Officer
Frequently asked questions
Don’t see an answer to your question?
Drop us an email and we will get back
For each workshop, we can help you with three different teasers you can customize and share periodically with participants to build excitement and get traction.
We are glad you asked that question. Every learning intervention starts with "Why?" and "What is the difference you want to see at the workplace because your learner attended this session?" Once we are clear, our learning designers create a thoughtfully curated learning journey that could be a mix of different methodologies chosen to suit your learning environment. Besides this, to aid learning, we can (optionally) buttress it through the following:
- A pre-learning assignment for learners to know where they stand before the journey
- A participant handbook aids the learner in returning to what was covered during the session and reviewing it again. It helps in learning reinforcement.
- A post-learning assignment helps learners know where they stand after the journey. Assessing the gap in learning helps learners in bridging it
- Pocket insights—a ready reckoner with the key concepts that can either be carried along or be pinned up as a ready reminder.
- Manager Essentials—tips (for the managers of the learners) to recognize behavioral changes and create an environment that encourages the learners to put what they have learned to practice.
- Post-learning application of learning at the workplace through a specific project.
- We try to capture the impact of every learning intervention through an impact report that is then shared with clients.
You can reach out to your designated client advisor or reach us at hello@focusu.com to know more about the workshop. Our team will talk with you to understand your needs better to ensure that the workshop is customized to your context.
Every single workshop (except the asynchronous self-paced modules) is customized to the precise customer need and brief. Our client advisory team will work closely with you to understand your context and pass it on to the execution team.
Ready to Turn Resistance
into Collaboration?
Let’s co-create an experience that helps your people influence with
empathy, think creatively under pressure, and find win-win
outcomes — even in the toughest conversations.