Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has been invited by the Harvard Extension Student Association to speak at the “The Negotiation & Leadership Conference 2010” that will take place at the Joseph Martin Conference Center, Harvard University on Saturday, 1st May, 2010. The event will be a collaboration between students at various Harvard schools, including the Harvard Division of Continuing Education, the Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School. Students at all Harvard schools, as well as graduates, professionals and the general public have all been invited.

The theme for the conference this year is centered on the concept of “The Changing Faces Of Leadership: Overcoming Bias In Negotiations”. One of the key objectives of the event is to highlight the idea that dealing with leaders from different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicity, genders, religions, races, etc, is a key leadership and negotiating skill to develop for the 21st century. The program will include discussions on areas where bias might be most influential in the negotiations such as in the areas of identity in negotiations and in high-stakes negotiations. There will be three panels on “Race, Gender, and Religion in Negotiations” as well as breakout workshops on “Negotiating When The Stakes Are High in Business, Law and Government” and also on “International Negotiations”.

In his presentation, Minister Bartlett will explore the role that identity (defined as “race” and “culture”) plays in negotiations and whether this has any impact on outcomes or performance for leaders in government, law or business.