Two Newtons

Richard Shell in Bargaining for Advantage has a nice worksheet you can use to prepare for negotiating. (See below for a PDF version I created.) Walking through this, and writing out brief answers, can really calm you down and de-emotionalize a negotiation.

I would also suggest writing down the reasons for your asks, couching the asks as “I need ______ because _________.” Research shows that when you say “because,” people take your demands more seriously. The most interesting study on this concerned trying to butt into a line for a Xerox machine. A researcher approached a line and said, “I need to make copies. Can I cut in front of you?” Most said, “No.”

The same researcher approached another line and said, “I need to make copies because I’m in a hurry and have a presentation.” Many more agreed. It turns out the “reason” doesn’t even have to be very good: when the researcher said, “I need to cut into line and make copies because I need to make copies,” the subjects were just as likely to allow him to cut in as when there was a “good” reason. The explanation seems to be that we want to feel like we are acting for a reason—even if someone else provides that reason for us (i.e., “because”).

Anyhoo, here is the worksheet:

I. The Problem

• I must negotiate with [person] to [solve what problem?]

II. Goals and Decision Makers

• My specific, high expectations:
• My bottom line:
• Target-decision makers:
• Influencers (should I negotiate with these people first?):

III. Underlying Needs and Interests (shared, ancillary, conflicting)

• Mine:
• Theirs:

IV. Leverage

• If there is no deal, what do I lose?
• What steps or alternatives will reduce these losses?
• If there is no deal, what do they lose?
• Can I influence their alternatives to make their status quo worse?
• Leverage favors: Me? Other party? About even?
• Who has the most to lose overall from “no deal”?

V. Possible Proposals

• Build on shared interests?
• Bridge conflicting interests?
• Be creative?

VI. Authoritative Standards and Norms

• Mine:
• Theirs:
• My counter argument:

• Mine:
• Theirs:
• My counter argument:

VII. Third Party Moves

• Can I use a third party as leverage?
• As an excuse?
• As an audience?
• Coalition partner?

VIII. Situation Strategy and Analysis

• Situation as I see it is a:
• Transaction?
• Relationship?
• Balanced concerns?
• Tacit coordination?
• My basic style is:
• So, in this situation, I need to be more:

• Situation as they see it is:
• Transaction?
• Relationship?
• Balanced concerns?
• Tacit coordination?
• Their expected strategy:
• Competitive?
• Problem solving?
• Compromise?
• Avoiding?
• Accommodating?

IX. Best Modes of Communication

• Agent?
• Face-to-Face?
• Teleconference?
• Telephone?
• E-mail?
• Instant messaging?

X. Overall Positioning Theme

• A short statement that sums up our underlying purpose in this negotiation:

Update: Here’s a Cheat Sheet that I put together (PDF). Enjoy.