Prepare a negotiation brief with BATNA and tradeables
Builds a negotiation prep sheet: BATNA check, counterpart interests, tradeables, likely tactics with responses, and an opening position.
The prompt — fill the [BRACKETS]0 copies
Prepare me for a negotiation. The situation: [WHAT IS BEING NEGOTIATED AND WITH WHOM]. What I want: [YOUR IDEAL OUTCOME]. My walk-away point: [MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE OUTCOME]. What I know about the other side: [THEIR SITUATION, CONSTRAINTS, AND ANYTHING THEY HAVE SAID SO FAR]. Build the prep sheet in six parts. 1) My BATNA: given what I have told you, state my realistic best alternative if talks fail, and say whether my stated walk-away point is consistent with that alternative — if it is not, say which one to revise. 2) Their likely interests: separate what they have asked for (positions) from what they probably need (interests), and list their top three interests with your reasoning for each. 3) The zone of possible agreement: your estimate of where our ranges overlap, plus two things to probe for early in the conversation that would test the estimate. 4) Tradeables: things cheap for me to give but valuable to them, and the reverse; propose at least two package deals built from these rather than movement on a single number. 5) Their likely moves: the three arguments or tactics they are most likely to use, each paired with a calm, specific response I can adapt in the moment. 6) My opening: a concrete opening position with a one-line justification, positioned so the midpoint between our likely openings lands near my target. Close with the two questions I should ask in the first five minutes.
Updated 2026-08-18
1 revision