Momentum Matters in Negotiations
It appears some powerful momentum is currently being generated in the hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The first several hostages were released October 23. Then last week more were released each day of the 4-day negotiated “pause.” (For a good summary of...
Advice for Negotiators at Thanksgiving
Four years ago, I wrote a Negotiators Guide to Thanksgiving Conversations and eight years ago I wrote a column thanking negotiators for exhibiting certain effective traits that make all our negotiations better. Here are three more effective negotiator traits to be...
Dealing with Surprises in Negotiations
I’m a planner, as a core element of what I teach involves creating Strategic Negotiation Plans based on the experts’ proven research. To implement proven negotiation strategies in a systematic, disciplined way, you must plan and think it through before you pick...
The Power of Pattern Bargaining
I remember taking a labor history course in college years ago that opened my eyes to the hostile and contentious record of union-management negotiations going back to the advent and growth of unions in the late 19th and early 20th century. Violence was not that...
Expert Negotiation Advice for $0 to $300
“What should I do? I have a significant upcoming negotiation. Ideally, I would hire you to consult with me on it. But I just can’t afford your fee. What’s the next best, lower cost option for me?” I get this question fairly frequently. Here’s my answer, which I...
3 Tips for Negotiating With Medical Professionals
My Dad was recovering from emergency surgery to his abdominal area about 8 years ago when one of the hospital’s physicians told us that a blood clot had formed in his arm just below his shoulder. The doctor told us we had two options, neither of them good. She said he...
Do the Right Thing (Part 2)
“Usury” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the lending of money at exorbitant interest rates” and can also be used “in a moral sense,” according to Wikipedia, as “condemning taking advantage of others’ misfortunes.” We as a society have even passed laws prohibiting...