How can you make your next negotiation more effective? What key elements should you include in your preparation to ensure success?
In his book Start With No, negotiation expert Jim Camp shares essential strategies for creating a thorough negotiation agenda. His approach focuses on addressing problems directly, setting clear goals, and planning the next steps to keep discussions on track.
Keep reading to discover how to transform your negotiation preparation from basic to brilliant—and get better results in every business conversation.
Creating a Negotiation Agenda
Camp suggests you prepare for your negotiation by creating agendas—lists of items you want to discuss with your counterpart—for each stage of the negotiation. A well-prepared agenda ensures you communicate efficiently, address all essential points, and achieve what you set out to achieve.
According to Camp, a negotiation agenda should include some or all of the following items.
#1: Problems: Everything you or your adversary would consider to be challenges for the negotiation. Negotiators are often reluctant to bring up problems—such as a lack of experience for a job position or budget limitations for a project—because they fear these issues could put the deal at risk. However, addressing these issues head-on makes you appear more effective and helps both parties feel more comfortable.
#2: Goals: What you want to achieve at this point in the negotiation. You can think of your goal as the decision you need your negotiation partner to make.
#3: Future Course: What the next step of the negotiation will be. This clears up ambiguity about what will happen next and makes the negotiation process more efficient.
(Shortform note: In Never Split the Difference, Chris Voss also suggests you address problems during a negotiation, but he more specifically recommends you list every bad thing the other party could say about you at the beginning of the negotiation. Voicing problems the other party might have with you allows you to address negative emotions upfront. You can also tap into the other party’s empathy by asking for their input. When you do this, your counterpart feels compelled to reassure you that the problem isn’t as bad as you’ve painted it to be.)
| Include Small Talk in Your Agenda In addition to covering problems, goals, and the next steps of your negotiation in your agenda, consider planning for small talk. Research suggests that engaging in small talk during negotiations can help you achieve better results—and, according to Debra Fine (The Fine Art of Small Talk), planning your small talk in advance can help you keep the talk interesting and avoid not knowing what to say next. Fine suggests you prepare two different items for good small talk: Questions: Prepare a few questions you can ask to steer the conversation in new directions. You could ask about the other person’s favorite way to relax after work, what they enjoy about the event you’re attending, or whether they’ve attended a similar event before. Personal Anecdotes: Planning to share some stories or experiences about yourself helps balance the conversation, so it’s not just one person doing all the talking. Plus, when you share about yourself, it helps others feel more connected to you. For example, consider talking about your opinions on restaurants, books, and movies, or your memories and experiences. |
