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The checklist provides an easy-to-follow list of tips to guide the negotiator when conducting the negotiation meeting. It can be used in most situations and has been designed to act as both a preparation document and an operational prompt.
Activity
1. Ensure you go into the negotiation with a clear set of objectives and outcomes.
2. Spend time at the beginning of the negotiation setting out and explaining the starting positions.
3. In the early part of the negotiation, encourage the other party to say as much as possible and listen carefully.
4. Try not to challenge anything at this stage, but do make a note of any issues which will need to be resolved later.
5. Sense when it is an appropriate time to begin putting forward your own bids, perhaps starting with those areas where you believe you will be able to achieve a consensus.
6. It is probably a good idea not to state the whole of your case at the beginning, but rather to encourage a dialog and develop your case as the discussion proceeds.
7. Where you disagree with the other party’s statements, do not interrupt, but wait until they have finished before you attempt to put them right.
8. Identify any flaws in the way the other party is putting his/her case by probing and questioning any factually incorrect statements, any relevant omissions and any misuse of statistics.
