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THE ART OF NEGOTIATING Watkins calls this step "design work." Following are some key things he feels should be addressed before negotiations begin. Self-assessment. In past negotiations, have you tended to accept the situations and structures as the other party presented them? If so, you should determine not to fall victim to that pitfall again. One simple way to shape the game is to invite other players into the negotiation. For example, in negotiating with your landlord for a new lease, you might invite your lawyer or your accountant to join in. You must also take great pains in building, maintaining, and improving your BATNA. Knowledge of your walkaway position will add hidden power to your position. Setting the agenda. Influencing the makeup of the agenda is a crucial step in successful negotiations. By helping define the issues to be discussed and setting their priorities, you put yourself in a position of strength when the discussions begin. "Good negotiators don't just play the game, they shape the game," Watkins says. Control the information. Knowledge is power. Arguably, there is no other activity where this old axiom is truer than in negotiations. Exerting control over who gets access to what information is another way to gain a position of strength in discussions. In negotiating a new lease with your landlord, for example, you would probably want to share the fact that you have been looking at another location. On the other hand, if you knew of a potential tenant who would like to move into your building, sharing that information would be poor strategy. 3. MANAGING THE PROCESS The third step in breakthrough negotiations is determining the best way to handle the actual face-to- face negotiations. There are several important steps in this phase: Sensitivity to early interactions. "How a negotiation begins tinges everything thereafter," Watkins says. "Initial impressions, based on limited information, persist and are resistant to change." He stresses that mutual respect at the beginning of the process increases the likelihood of eventual agreement, but bad blood at the beginning of discussions can poison all that follows. Tipping points. You should keep yourself aware of thresholds in negotiations that Watkins calls tipping points—the sensitive points in negotiations where even tiny concessions or refusals can lead to major shifts in positions. "You should always be aware of your own emotional thresholds and coping mechanisms to avoid being pushed over the edge. Be very careful when raising issues that are hot buttons for the other side." Emotions. Emotions play a part in most negotiations. "A timely display of anger, for example, can demonstrate resolve, so long as it is employed infrequently," Watkins says. Yet, you must keep any display of anger under careful control. Emotional outbursts of any sort can easily escalate, generating emotional conflicts that make rational judgments all but impossible. However you do it, keeping your emotions under control during negotiations will give you an important advantage. As one negotiator puts it, "When you lose your temper, you lose." 4. ASSESSING RESULTS Once negotiations have begun, Watkins suggests stepping back periodically to evaluate how well you're doing. While it's natural to do this between negotiating sessions, he says you should also take score in the heat of battle. Ury calls this "going to the balcony," or the ability to look at your situation from a distance. "Appraising an ongoing negotiation is partly about whether you're meeting the goals you set for yourself," Watkins says. "Clearly identifying your goals while preparing to negotiate is only half the battle; you have to keep those objectives firmly in mind as you go forward." Every negotiation is an opportunity to learn. However, learning does not come automatically, simply because you went through a negotiation. "Learning takes place only when you take the time to reflect on your experience," Watkins says. "When negotiations are over, ask yourself what went well? What could I have done better? What did the other side do well, and what did I learn from them?" background in management consulting, marketing, and finance. He's written more than 900 articles appearing in a wide range of consumer magazines, trade publications, and newspapers in 17 countries. Contact him at lynott@verizon.net. William J. Lynott has an extensive earn CE hours at your convenience: abmp's online education center, www.abmp.com 71