Teaching

Negotiation Strategy Elective

Course Overview

Professor Kopelman has been teaching at the University of Michigan since 2003 in the Michigan Ross executive MBA program, executive education open-enrollment and custom programs, full-time and part-time MBA programs, Bachelor of Business Administration; and at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy.

Kopelman's strong academic background, hands-on experience with managers and executives, and teaching experience with hundreds of students every year, led her to develop a groundbreaking framework for negotiations.

Mobilizing resources by creating positive cooperative and competitive momentum is a key talent leaders need to generate opportunities for business growth and success. This is the space within which Dr. Kopelman raises the bar.

As a business leader, people need analytical skills to discover optimal solutions to problems and extraordinary negotiation skills to tailor these solutions to the needs and priorities of multiple stakeholders in implementable ways that sustainably co-create value. The resources you invest, whom you engage in conversations, and what you expect to achieve in return, are open to explicit and implicit negotiations. Through class experiences, students develop a solid grasp of the science of negotiation while developing a personally tailored positive approach for negotiations.

Anatol Rapoport

Professor Shirli Kopelman


 Michigan Ross | Faculty Profile
Testimonial
"Prof Kopelman was awesome! She was engaging, fun, relaxed, and very practical. One of the best I have had in the EMBA program."

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive-MBA 2014

Testimonial
"Dr. Kopelman is a superb professor who weaves together theory and application. She listens to her students and adapts the agenda to be responsive to their needs. She brings her own life experience to the classroom and creates a safe space for students to do the same."

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive Education, May 2016

Testimonial
"I feel really lucky to have had the chance to take this course and it is the best course that I have taken here."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, February 2013

Testimonial
"I think this class was probably the most natural fit for truly engaging with classmates to explore case studies. The breadth of negotiation types (one-on-one via Zoom, group via Zoom, email, phone, etc) was also a real strength. Each type felt relevant and like it would be something we'll come across in future professional/personal situations."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, October 2020

Testimonial
"The structured pre-work was a good way to learn to organize thoughts. The breakout rooms were very useful for running class. Also talking to the outliers in each case to figure out what they did right or wrong was effective."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, October 2020

Testimonial
"The focus on practice, practice, practice was really effective in this course. Kopelman is very good, fun, and flexible. She took the anxiety of the course and all of us had a great learning experience, especially taking us out of our comfort zone to try new negotiation styles"

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive-MBA 2006

Testimonial
"This course taught me that above everything else I need to be confident in my own abilities. I often second guess myself, but this course has shown me that I have the capabilities to not only succeed, but thrive in negotiations and should approach them as such – with enthusiasm to 'co–create' value. It's truly been an eye-opening experience."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, October 2019

Testimonial
"Professor Kopelman fosters an environment where action-based learning meets the theoretical canon with an emphasis on creating sustainable value."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, February 2013

Testimonial
"Professor Kopelman challenges societal norms when it comes to negotiations. Thought processes and preconceived notions that have been instilled in us through everyday interactions are brought up front by the unique style of teaching. Kopelman does not simply teach basic frameworks for negotiations but the mindset needed in order to create value through positive interactions and solutions."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, February 2013

Testimonial
"This class was one my best experiences in the MBA program. I use the word experience because the learning process involves experiencing different roles with different people in different negotiation environments. These experiences generated personal emotions (frustrations, angers and happiness) that definitely helped me to grasp the essentials concepts and insights to become consistently a better negotiator."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, February 2013

Testimonial
"Professor Kopelman was extremely clear and articulate on a subject that could have been all over the place. Great course and very important for the EMBA program. Was taught extremely well!"

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive-MBA 2014

Testimonial
"This was probably one of the best classes I have taken at Ross, mainly because there are not many classes that help you grow personally as much as professionally at the same time."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, February 2013

Testimonial
"The professor’s emphasis on building competitive, cooperative and long term relationships provided a unique and helpful paradigm shift."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, February 2013

Testimonial
"Prof. Kopelman was extremely engaging and an excellent coach! She took the time to get to know each one of us and that made the course very personal to us. She is great at breaking down the negotiations process, busting several myths about negotiations and I am coming out of the class learning a great deal not just about myself and negotiations, but also about dealing with different kinds of people in different situations."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, April 2013

Testimonial
"This was the most influential class I have ever taken (pun intended). I have fundamentally changed the way I communicate in any setting (not just in a formal negotiation) based on this course. It has helped me with dealing with difficult people and conflict, the salary negotiation for my upcoming job, and everything in between. This course will have a large hand in shaping my future, as I have internalized the material to a point that it has truly become my own."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, April 2013

Testimonial
"I liked that the course put me in situations that made me uncomfortable, which forced me to face certain fears and helped me grow as a negotiator. Even if I was not always happy with how I performed in a negotiation, the class gave me a better sense of myself and my strengths and weaknesses as a person in everyday interactions."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, October 2013

Testimonial
"Who you are in a negotiation matters just as much as what you have."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, October 2019

Testimonial
"Professor Kopelman is every reason to take this class! She really showed me how to organically be a better negotiator and how to understand the different components of a negotiation. She was able to give me such valuable advice on my personal recruiting situation. I really appreciate all her interest. I also appreciate her overall enthusiasm for teaching this course."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, October 2013

Testimonial
"I loved this course. Shirli made the course fun and has a knack for teaching. UM is lucky to have her.

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive-MBA 2009

Testimonial
"Great course and professor had tremendous energy. Very knowledgeable about the topic and able to teach through practice and provide direct feedback that was not offensive – Thanks!"

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive-MBA 2005

Testimonial
"Be open and frank, but always ambitious. Breath and control your anxiety. Be ready to understand the scenario, the multiple resources and share interests. Take your boat and sail."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, October 2019

Testimonial
"A real boots on the ground course. I came back to work and began using the techniques right away."

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive-MBA 2009

Testimonial
"My strength in collaboration can be just as valuable, if not more so, as a strength in competition."

—Anonymous Student, Ross MBA-elective, October 2019

Testimonial
"Carrying the positive leadership lantern into what can be one of the darkest parts of business life was nothing short of transformative!"

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive Education, May 2016

Testimonial
"Kopelman is a fantastic teacher with a very comfortable style and tons of humor… loved the course. Great tie in of class concepts with cases and mock negotiations. Practical application really gave opportunity to test concepts and stressed learning in a safe environment. Demanding and excellent course! Very useful in any context or situation you might find yourself."

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive-MBA 2009

Testimonial
"Adventurous, smart, authentic, curious- a leader as well as a teacher. Shirli applies the positive leader frame to one of the most challenging and often contentious aspects of business. She made this meaningful work even more meaningful by keeping it real."

—Anonymous Student, Ross Executive Education, May 2016