DRESS REHEARSALS Boost employees' success in negotiations by teaching them future pacing, says Eric C. Gould, a Silicon Valley negotiation and communications consultant. The technique aims to shape behavior through mental rehearsal of future situations, to encourage automatic, appropriate responses. Simply envision any previous experience you wish you could have handled better. Now ask yourself what you will do next time to get a better result. “Great coaches prepare their world-class athletes by mentally rehearsing them before a big event,” Gould says. “Business managers can do the same with their star performers.”