Get better outcomes while staying true to yourself.
Most freelancers didn’t set out to become negotiators.
You probably got into this work because you love learning, helping people grow, designing great experiences, or solving real problems for clients. But once you step into freelance or consultancy life, negotiation quietly becomes part of the job.
Fees. Scope. Timelines. Revisions. Payment terms. Partnerships.
And unlike artists or sports stars, most of us don’t have an agent handling those conversations on our behalf. When the discussion turns to money or value, the person representing the work… is you.
That can feel uncomfortable, especially when what’s being negotiated is your expertise, your pricing, or the value of the work you’ve created.
The good news? You’re probably already negotiating more often than you realise, and you’re likely better at it than you think.
This session is designed to help you approach negotiation with more confidence, more clarity and a lot less drama.
What you’ll get out of this session:
No Drama Negotiation is designed to help anyone become more confident and effective when negotiating.
Paul Thomas will share practical insights from 30 years of commercial deal-making, along with memorable visuals, stories and practical exercises that help the ideas stick.
You’ll come away with simple ways to approach negotiation that feel natural, authentic and effective, without needing to become someone you’re not.
Who should attend?
This session is great for anyone whose work includes agreeing fees with clients, costs with suppliers and everything in between. Many of the principles are universal, so if you’re about to buy a car, or even just renewing your mobile phone contract, this session will be useful to you.
About the speaker:
Paul’s first commercial negotiations were with record company reps when he worked at HMV, aged 21. He then became a professional buyer for Woolworth’s, Tesco and Amazon before representing EE in partnership discussions with Google, Apple and Samsung. Along the way he has received specialist training and delivered negotiation modules for new graduates and in-house lawyers. He now shares this expertise as a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator alongside operating as a fractional CCO/CMO for scale up businesses.
This session is free to attend live, the recording will be available to Free Spirit members only.
