ADD JUST A TEASPOON OF NEGOTIATION FOR THE PERFECT RECIPE: TOGETHER WE BAKE

By Haley Resnick, Negotiation Works Intern and class of 2023, Georgetown University

Lisbeth and Pam

What happens when you reinforce negotiation skills for strong women who have been negotiating their entire lives? A whole lot of good.

Stephanie Wright and Tricia Sabatini founded the non-profit organization Together We Bake in 2012 to help women needing a second chance. The women they serve are often returning citizens or women struggling with homelessness, substance abuse, or domestic violence. Together We Bake "believes in a society where women are valued and have the support they need to be whole and break the cycle of trauma and abuse."

The program centers around a baking business where their participants–or "team members"-- become certified in food production, food safety education, and business education, all while taking empowerment and life-skill classes. At the program's conclusion, the participants not only have transferable job skills and professional experience, but they also possess greater self-confidence, improved coping strategies, and a stable support network making them more prepared for any challenge that comes their way.

Beginning in 2018, Together We Bake's partnership with Negotiation Works became a critical ingredient for providing the women with self-confidence and self-sufficiency skills. Negotiation Works volunteer instructors Pam Schwartz and Jayme Epstein recently completed a 6-week negotiation course for the Together We Bake participants, marking the 14th course Negotiation Works has taught in partnership with Together We Bake. As Pam explains, Negotiation Works "really fits" with Together We Bake's mission. "It's integral with the program, which encourages the women to speak up and get the support and help they need. When Negotiation Works comes in, we teach how to ask for something you need in a methodical way and in a manner that will make it more likely you'll receive it."

Former Together We Bake team member and current Together We Bake Program Manager, Lisbeth Delcid, agrees. Negotiation Works is the only outside program that Together We Bake has invited to run an entire series of workshops. Lisbeth attributes Negotiation Works' effectiveness to the fact that for Together We Bake team members, negotiation "is something that they have already done in some shape or form." Through the Negotiation Works classes, the women are able to recognize that there are ways for them to get what they want or come to a favorable outcome for both parties," based on skills they already inherently possess. 

According to Pam, every Together We Bake team member is a "natural negotiator." Only now, as reiterated by Lisbeth, the team members no longer need to associate negotiation with fear or anxiety. Instead, team members can be "more conscious of how they negotiate," and both feel good and see good results too.

Lisbeth highlights the Negotiation Works scenarios and role plays as factors for success. During these activities, participants take on the part of an individual (mother, daughter, grandmother, etc.) in a dispute requiring negotiation. The scenarios are modeled off real-life examples and, according to Lisbeth, "help [team members] get to a point where they really understand the concepts," providing a tangible "component [that] helps to make negotiation stick in people's minds."

Melinda, a recent Together We Bake team member, also appreciated the role play activities. The scenarios "get everybody working together" while pushing "the way that you think about things" to identify not only what is best for you but what may be best for the other party. Melinda shared that prior to Negotiation Works, she would approach negotiations quickly, never think ahead, and let her emotions get the best of her. The scenarios allowed her to recognize the importance of taking her time and "sitting down and going over everything to figure out a plan."

 Negotiation Works also helps fulfill one of the critical tenets of Together We Bake's mission: instilling self-confidence. Not knowing how to approach a dispute or being unwilling or scared to negotiate is often a product of a lack of confidence. As Pam explained, "if you are in a setting where you need something but are nervous about asking for it, and if your solution is to walk away and not face it, you have almost zero chance of getting what you need." Negotiation Works changes this outlook, ensuring its participants can "ask for what they need and think ahead and prepare for how to do that."

Melinda credits Negotiation Works with giving the team members their "confidence back" and allowing them to "believe in themselves." According to Melinda, Negotiation Works helps "build more skills," each week focusing on a "piece of what Together We Bake team members need."  

As astutely offered by Melinda, the organization's name is perfect because "negotiation definitely does work" and "goes hand in hand" with Together We Bake's mission and the women they serve.

Negotiation Works looks forward to its continued partnership with Together We Bake. If you want to learn more, check out their website and graduation video, which Pam describes as a testament to Together We Bake's influential effect on its participants. We also encourage checking out the Together We Bake store and trying their cookies which Pam reports "are delicious!"