N04: Negotiation: Strategy and Planning

To avoid the problem, convince the other party to agree with what you want, and eventually accomplish in a negotiation, planning before having a negotiation is a must.

In this chapter, we are learning how negotiators can set goals and objectives clearly so that they can plan later the appropriate approach. Effective goals must be concrete, specific and measurable. As a result, it would be easier to communicate to the other party what we want, help us also understand what the other party want and determines if an offer satisfies our goals.

When having the concrete goals and objectives, negotiators must develop strategy. To do so, negotiators have to integrate plan with targets, policies, and action sequences. They have to ensure selecting effective strategies and tactics which are helpful to accomplish a negotiation purposes. For example, Active-Engagement strategies are often used when the main goal is to build and strengthen the relationship and the negotiator is willing to sacrifice the outcome.

Understanding the steps or flow in a negotiation also affects the success of negotiation. The parties need to understand first how negotiations are normally likely to evolve and why planning and developing appropriate strategy is so important.

To develop effective negotiation planning, there are several critical points negotiators need to concentrate on:

1. The parties have to define the issues which are needed to be discusses in the negotiation.
2. Negotiators have to assemble all the issues that have been defined and determined the most important ones.
3. Negotiators should define “interests” of both parties in order to achieve in the negotiation easily.
4. The parties have to know “a resistance point” where you feel that is acceptable and unacceptable, then prepare alternatives if needed.
5. Negotiators need to determine what outcome they would be comfortable with.
6. The parties need to assess constituents and the social context of the negotiation.
7. After knowing the planning process, it’s important to analyzing the other party as well. It is advantageous to prepare for a negotiation by gathering information about the other party, their issues, interests, resistant points, objectives, etc. So you can develop effective negotiation approach.

When negotiators are able to consider and evaluate these important factors, they will know how to proceed and accomplish the negotiation.