4.1 Developing a Negotiation Plan

We have conducted our research and gathered the relevant information and resources; now, we need to critically evaluate all of it. Not all of it will be relevant; some may be more important than others, so we need to verify its value and validity for our specific negotiation. Again, think of choreographing a dance. There are so many different steps and moves that a dancer could put together, but not all the steps could enhance the dance.

Similarly, consider all the various pieces of music one could use to choreograph a dance. Some music might be better suited to the end goal or vision for the dance, whereas other pieces may not fit with the dance at all. Just like a dancer would sift through steps and music to choreograph their dance, we need to evaluate all the gathered information and decide which is of most value to us for our negotiation.

Now, we have the steps and the music, but we still need to put it all together into a sequence. Same idea for our negotiation plan. We need a well-thought-out plan that clearly details the sequence of issues, the strategies we will use for each of those issues, and the outcomes that we hope to achieve. How we sequence our issues will be up to us, but it may be beneficial, to begin with issues where there is more agreement or common ground to show to the other party that we are willing to discuss and negotiate while leaving the more contentious issues for later in the negotiation. We may also want to start off with issues that we care less about first and be more lenient or giving on those issues and leave the important ones for the grand finale.

Now that we have our plan, we will need to execute it. But we need to remain flexible. Remember, negotiations are a dance of give and take. We need to be prepared to adjust our responses and strategies to the other party. We need to listen to the other party, make offers and respond to their counteroffers. No matter how well laid out our plan is, things will change. We may need to improvise and adjust our plan as the negotiation plans. However, the more prepared we are, the more information we have, the better equipped we are to negotiate effectively and achieve our goals.