5 Basic Rules of Negotiation

Reading  Harvard Negotiation Project: 5 Lasting Rules For Negotiating Anything on GigaOm made me send the list of five rules of negotiation to a client. First the rules:

1. Don’t Bargain Over Positions
2. Separate the People From the Problem
3. Focus on Interests
4. Invent Options for Mutual Gain
5. Insist on Using Objective Criteria

One side effect of the recession I have seen is clients getting into complicated situations, even some self destructive, almost as a diversion from the real issues. I don't have a solution. But I do wish folks would learn a little more about creative negotiation to get us all to a happy place. Just keep paying it forward I tell myself.