Whatever your occupation, whether you are in a relationship or single, raising kids or keeping up with family, helping to take care of parents or grandparents, volunteering your time in different organizations, or spending weekends with a smaller circle of close friends, you are negotiating .  Think about it. As we make or fend off requests , ask for favors , request changes to our travel plans , arrange to meet up with colleagues , or are on a date with a special someone, we have to negotiate on when and where to meet and what kinds of activities to share, we must take turns sharing opinions and experiences, or we must explore the opinions and experiences of those we are with. Life, in large measure, is about negotiation. Who goes first? How do we build trust and intimacy? How do we manage the dance of social interaction?  But negotiation is a skill—one most of us haven’t learned or practiced. Most of us, most of the time, just aren’t very good at it.…