Preparing for Negotiations
Disclaimer: The summaries and interpretations provided on this page are unofficial and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS).
Summary
- One of the most common mistakes people make in negotiation is either not preparing at all or preparing inadequately, despite it being obvious that important negotiations require thorough preparation
- Effective preparation involves thinking about key elements from both your own perspective and your counterpart’s perspective, helping you identify what questions to ask if you don’t have all the answers
- Issues are the specific items that will be discussed and need resolution during the negotiation, and it’s beneficial to agree on these issues in advance with all parties
- Having a predetermined list of issues helps protect against last-minute additions by allowing you to reference the agreed-upon scope and reject items not previously discussed
- Stakeholders are parties who have power to affect the success or failure of your negotiation objectives and must be engaged in the process
- You should identify who has legitimacy with respect to the issues being negotiated and who has urgency regarding the resolution of these matters
- Alternatives to a negotiated solution must be considered, meaning you need to think through what happens if the negotiation fails and no deal is reached
- You cannot negotiate intelligently without understanding the consequences of being unsuccessful and reaching an impasse in the negotiation
- You must evaluate how attractive or unattractive the failure to reach agreement would be from both your perspective and your counterpart’s perspective
- Interests represent what actually matters to people and motivate their behavior, which is fundamentally different from the positions they publicly state
- Positions are publicly stated demands, while interests are the underlying motivations that explain why people ask for what they’re asking for
- Even when positions appear irreconcilable, understanding the underlying interests can help craft viable solutions that satisfy both parties
- Confusing someone’s position with their interests represents a major error in negotiation that can prevent successful outcomes
- Various intangibles come into play during negotiations that must be considered as part of preparation
- Setting targets and thinking about opening offers should be done in advance as part of the preparation process
- You need to prepare the arguments and justifications you will present at the negotiation table to support your requests
- Negotiation involves more than just exchanging bids and offers, requiring solid reasoning to explain and support what you are asking for
- While thorough planning and preparation doesn’t guarantee success, it significantly increases the likelihood of achieving a successful outcome
Actionable Advice
- Prepare thoroughly before entering any important negotiation rather than going in unprepared or under-prepared
- Think about key negotiation elements from both your own perspective and your counterpart's perspective
- Create a list of all issues that need to be resolved and get agreement from all parties on this list before discussing substance
- Identify all stakeholders who have power to affect the success or failure of your objectives and engage them in the process
- Determine who has legitimacy and urgency regarding the issues you'll be negotiating
- Think through what will happen if the negotiation fails and you don't reach an agreement
- Evaluate how attractive or unattractive the alternatives to agreement are for both you and your counterpart
- Identify your own interests and try to understand your counterpart's underlying interests, not just their stated positions
- Distinguish between positions (publicly stated demands) and interests (underlying motivations) to avoid confusing the two
- Look for solutions that address underlying interests even when positions seem irreconcilable
- Set specific targets for what you want to achieve before entering the negotiation
- Plan your opening offers in advance
- Prepare compelling arguments and justifications to support whatever you will be asking for
- Develop reasoning to explain why your requests are reasonable and should be accepted