Coaching practices for Negotiator Dilemma

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Negotiator Dilemma, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• It’s turned into a pure contest of who’ll budge first, and I hate that whoever caves just loses face
• We’re completely deadlocked on the one number
• The second they push back I either cave completely or harden into all-or-nothing, because I walked in without ever deciding what I could actually live with
• It feels like there are only two outcomes here
• I’ve got this conversation coming up and I’m dreading it because I genuinely don’t know what I’d do if they say no

Practices that may help

1. Insist on objective criteria to evaluate options
   Agree on an independent standard — market rate, precedent, expert opinion — before applying it to the specific deal.
   Principled Negotiation, Made Practical
2. Expand the ZOPA by adding issues to the negotiation
   When you’re stuck on a single issue, adding more issues often creates room for trades that satisfy both sides.
   ZOPA: The Zone of Possible Agreement
3. Negotiate: know your minimum and be willing to give and take
   Decide in advance what you are willing to accept short of your full ask, and be ready to offer something in exchange.
   DEAR MAN: DBT’s Skill for Asking for What You Want Effectively
4. Invent options for mutual gain before selecting
   Generate multiple creative options without commitment before evaluating any — the solution space is usually larger than the initial positions suggest.
   Principled Negotiation, Made Practical
5. Identify your real BATNA before negotiations begin
   Clarify exactly what you will do if no deal is reached — and whether that alternative is as good as you assume.
   BATNA: Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
6. Run a negotiation debrief to learn what value was left on the table
   After closing, compare priorities with the other side to see the trades you both missed.
   Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference
7. Logroll by trading issues of unequal importance
   Concede on what matters less to you in exchange for gains on what matters more.
   Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference
8. Write contingent contracts when forecasts disagree
   If you and the other side have different predictions, let the outcome decide who was right.
   Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference
9. Make multiple equivalent simultaneous offers (MESOs)
   Propose several package deals of equal value to you — see which the other side prefers.
   Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference
10. Use a post-settlement settlement to improve a deal after agreement
    Once you have a deal, offer to keep exploring whether a better one exists for both sides.
    Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference

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