This weekend the United States Government shut down. Everyone is pointing fingers at the other, and the impasse is focused on divisive talking points, name calling, and politics more than anything else.
Skilled negotiators know and understand that what America is watching has little to do with constructive negotiation and everything to do with positioning, talking points and politics. What’s happening isn’t right, but it does put the spotlight on a basic negotiation tactic that you’re watching on nonstop basis. What I’m talking about is the negotiation tactic of allowing the other side to frame something as either “A” or “B”.
Several years ago I uploaded to SlideShare my presentation, “A Trial Lawyer’s Negotiation Secrets- 30 Years of Tips and Approaches” to help people negotiate better (37,000 views). Slide #35 is particularly relevant to this weekend’s news. It reads, “Don’t fall into the trap of the either/or dichotomy. It’s never only A or B. There’s always C, D and E.”
I recommend everyone view this quick SlideShare and contrast the proven approaches I share with what you’re watching on television or social media. When done, ask yourself, “What’s really going on with the budget negotiations?”
Knowing what you now know about effective negotiation, what would you do differently to resolve the budget issue? What approach will you focus on in your next negotiation?
Here’s the full SlideShare presentation