Women as Negotiators

I just attended a class in Negotiations in the Learning Consortium executive education series at UCSD Rady School. A major part of the class was a negotiation exercise in teams of two. My team of two women successfully negotiated the highest value deal versus our opponents, an all-male team. The secrets of our success? In this case, better preparation, first in reading the question, second in identifying the key value drivers and third, in agreeing a strategy beforehand. Our team presented a united front, taking our discussions privately, outside the negotiating room, while the opposing team was divided at times.

Do you think there is a difference in style and success rate between men and women negotiators? In what situations can women get the better deal?