In the previous topic we finished by telling you to look out for your BATNA. What is your BATNA?

It is your Best Alternative To Negotiated Agreement. It is your fallback option when you are negotiating and what you will accept as an alternative to backing away, the final something you would take before you decide that there is no deal. You also hope that your negotiating opposition has a BATNA.

Yes you guessed it. You will be working on adding some proven negotiation tips and techniques to your art of good thinking capability set.

We will refer to two books by a combination of three famous and successful negotiators. The first is Beyond Reason: Using Emotion as you Negotiate by Roger Fisher and Daniel Shapiro.¹ The second is Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury.²

Both books contain many great insights and lessons including some that are based on the work of Pr. Cialdini and the stakeholder works we have used for this unit.

In this topic you will get to have your final practice of some of the tools and processes you have used, and you will explore your BATNA so that you are all ready for your @Work 2 activity.

Here is a set of tips and little treasures for you to call on when you need something to reinforce your capabilities and also to add to your thinking trove.

At the beginning of the unit we wrote that reasoning and critical thinking most probably is for a purpose. Of course, thinking for thinkings sake can be rewarding and fulfilling just not what we promised in this unit!

Here is a list of Elements of the Anatomy of Negotiation, based on the work of Roger Fisher, Daniel Shapiro and Willian Ury.³

If possible, have a copy of the Element Insight table. You will notice that there is a Y/N column as well. Use this as a quick check box. If you see a productive expression of the element, put a Y in the column. If you see a negative expression of the elements, put N. if you didn’t see any expression of the element leave the column blank.

Complete the exercise. What do the scores tell you? What did you see? Did you see a BATNA? Overall, what happened and what was the outcome?

Now that you have experienced and evaluated a negotiation either in person in some other manner you are ready for your @Work 2 activity.

Revisit your Elements of the anatomy of negotiation before you leave this lesson. In your @Work 2 you will apply the Elements of the anatomy of negotiation. Your @Work 2 asks you to specifically apply these five of the seven elements. The remaining two, Communication and Commitments, are also key elements and you will likely indirectly address those in your work.

1. Fisher, R., & Shapiro, D. (2005). Beyond reason: Using emotions as you negotiate. Penguin.
2. Fisher, R., Ury, W. L., & Patton, B. (2011). Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in. Penguin.
3. Fisher, R., & Shapiro, D. (2005). Beyond reason: Using emotions as you negotiate. Penguin.