Annie's Reading Room Ok, so you’ve conducted the first two steps to invent new and creative options -- separating inventing from deciding and broadening your options . Now onto seeking mutual gain and making their decision easy . Look for mutual gain Invent Options for Mutual Gain The third major block for creative problem solving lies in the assumption of a fixed pie: the less for you, the more fore me. Rarely if ever is this assumption true. Here are some ways around that type of “fixed pie” thinking:  Identify shared interests . Three points about shared interests are worth remembering. First, shared interests lie latent in every negotiation. They may not be immediately obvious. Second, shared interests are opportunities, not godsends. To be of use, you need to make something out of them. It helps to make a shared interest explicit and to formulate it as a shared goal. In other words, make it concrete and future oriented. Third, stressing your shared in...

Annie's Reading Room Let’s go over the strategies or the first two at least, to invent new and creative options in more detail, Okay, so we have: 1) separate the act of inventing options from the act of judging them; broaden the options on the table rather than look for a single answer; 2) search for mutual gains; and 3) invent ways of making their decisions easy. Separate inventing from deciding Separate the process of thinking up possible decisions from the process of selecting among them. By definition, inventing new ideas requires you to think about things that are not already in your mind. You should therefor consider the desirability of arranging an inventing or brainstorming session with a few colleagues or friends.   Wild ideas are encouraged. Here is a framework for the brainstorming session: Invent Options for Mutual Gain (Part II) Before: 1.        Define your purpose 2.        Choose a ...

Annie's Reading Room In last week’s Annie’s Reading Room, we reviewed how to manage emotions and set the stage for a successful negotiation with a pretty meaty post about understanding each side’s interest. While that is a necessary step in the negotiation process, our problems aren’t yet “solved.” To get to that point, we need to first generate some creative options for discussion. Invent Options for Mutual Gain  “This task is pretty challenging as there can seem to be no way to split the pie that leaves both parties satisfied. Often you are negotiating along a single dimension, such as the amount of territory, the price of a car, the length of a lease on an apartment, or the size of a commission on a sale. All available answers appear to lie along a straight line between their position and yours and the only creative thinking shown is to suggest splitting the difference. In most negotiations there are four major obstacles that inhibit the inventing of an abu...

Annie's Reading Room  Focus on interests, not positions Interests define the problem. Reconciling interests rather than positions works for two reasons. First, for every interest, there usually exists several possible positions that could satisfy it. Reconciling interests rather than compromising between positions also works because behind opposed positions lie many more interests than conflicting ones. Behind opposed positions lie shared and compatible interests, as well as conflicting ones. We tend to (incorrectly) assume that because the other side’s positions are opposed to ours, their interests must also be opposed. But if that’s not true, how do we identify interests to find a reasonable solution? Ask “Why?” Put yourself in their shoes, or more directly, ask your partner in negotiation. “If you do, make clear that you are asking not for the justification of this position, but for an understanding of the needs, hopes, fears, or desires that it serves.” ...

Annie's Reading Room Communication Obviously, communication is the driving force of negotiation. Without communication, the wheels fall off and you are stuck. However important, there are also three potential problems you could run into with communication. Separate the People from the Problem: Communication “First, negotiators may not be talking to each other, or at least not in such a way as to be understood. Instead they talk merely to impress third parties or their own constituency.” Second, “even if you are talking directly and clearly to them [the other party], they may not be hearing you.” I can relate to this certainly. Sometimes I am so busy thinking about my response that I tune out the other person’s final points. “The third communication problem is misunderstanding. What one says, the other may misinterpret.” “What can be done about these three problems of communication?” Listen actively and acknowledge what is being said . Listenin...