Principles of Negotiation

Principles of Negotiations

• Position your case advantageously

• Set high aspiration
• Concede according to plan
• Know the full range & strength of
your power
• Manage information skillfully
 Principle 1

• Position Your Case

Advantageously

• Position means to name or frame

the negotiation in a way that
creates a favorable “playing
field,” and supports your case

• Position creates “perceived

Value” where little existed Before
 Key Learnings

• Perceived value can be highly

subjective
• Positioning is especially powerful
for extending “the range of
reason,”
Example: Outcomes the other
party can be persuaded to see as
good enough
 Principle 2

Set High Aspirations

– The negotiator’s goals should

be as high as possible within
the range of reason

Old Negotiation Maxim says:

“ If you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it”
 Reasons to Raise Your Aspirations

If you find it difficult to set high

aspirations when you negotiate,
remember two things:
• Goals can always be lowered, but it is
most difficult to raise them once they
are known
• Low goals limit the “range of reason”
within which your settlement will
ultimately be negotiated
– The smaller the range of reason,
the lower your settlement will
probably be
 Key Learnings

• Skilled negotiators ask for

more, and therefore tend to get
more
• No deal is better than a bad
deal
 Principle 3

• Concede According To Plan

Concessions are the compromises

you make after your opening
position to move the negotiation
forward
 Key Learnings

• Don’t make any concessions unless

you have to
• Don’t make a concession unless
the other party makes a concessions
first, or unless it is needed to keep the
negotiation alive
• When you give a concession, get
one in return
• If you make concessions, make
sure that the way you make them
sends the message you really want to
send
 Principle 4

• Know The Full Range And

Strength of Your Power

To recognize all the factors

that might give you an
advantage in a negotiation
 Key Learnings

• Power starts with personal

conviction. You are only as
powerful as you believe yourself
to be
• Power is perception. If others see
you as powerful, then you are
powerful
• A major source of personal power
in negotiation is knowing clearly
what you want, and persistently
asking for it as you uncover and
satisfy the other party’s need
 Principle 5

• Manage Information Skillfully

To share or uncover only that

information necessary, or useful, to

negotiate successfully
 Key Learning

• Information is power
• Don’t just look at the other party
as the enemy, but as a valuable
source of information, which
can help you succeed.
• If you don’t share enough
information, you may create
distrust and undermine the
relationship
Role Plays - Negotiation