Counter-anchor before you respond

When they open extreme, don’t negotiate from their number — reset with your own.

Why it works

Once an anchor is on the table it contaminates your judgment automatically, even when you know it’s manipulative. The defense isn’t willpower; it’s replacing the reference point — declining to counter from their figure and putting a well-justified anchor of your own beside it so the midpoint resets.

How to do it

1. Explicitly reject an extreme anchor rather than counter-offering off it.
2. Re-anchor with your own justified number to create a new reference point.
3. Return to objective criteria so the talk centers on standards, not their opening figure.

Evidence

Anchoring’s persistence even when people are warned is well documented; re-anchoring and considering counter-evidence are among the few partially effective debiasing strategies in research. (rct)

Debiasing is only partial — even informed, motivated people remain somewhat influenced. Re-anchoring reduces, not eliminates, the pull.

Common mistake

Making a "reasonable" counter that’s still measured from their extreme anchor, which cedes most of the range to them.