Our research and global fieldwork have shown that virtually every negotiation, regardless of who's conducting it or where it takes place, can be blueprinted in exactly the same way. This is extremely important, because we also found that everything that takes place in the course of a negotiation - the planning and the research as well as all the tactics used in the final face-to-face meeting - is ultimately driven by that blueprint. But what is it? It's essentially a picture of the entire negotiation, a picture that can be determined by anwering two questions for those on both sides of any deal:
What are the consequences if we do not reach agreement?- What items are likely to be included if we do reach agreement?
To answer these questions, however, we must first go back to some very basic concepts about negotiating. In most negotiations, both sides have a separate "Wish List" of what they would like to achieve in the negotiation. Although neither side in most negotiations gets exactly what it wants in the final deal, if the two sides do come to an agreement, both get at least some of the things that were on their Wish Lists.
But regardless of whether the two parties ever come to an agreement, there is a blueprint that can be applied to the situation.
Would you like to know more about using these two powerful questions? Read more in this short article.
