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Interest-Based Negotiations

It may feel unnatural to negotiate your interests, rather than your positions, especially during a stressful period in your life, when you want to put up walls. But position-based negotiation is adversarial, only considering the needs of one side, and limiting good alternatives that might be satisfying, so it stymies the negotiation process. In contrast, focusing on interests rather than on positions enables people to negotiate reasonably without threats, intimidation, or ultimatums. It avoids a deadlock and allows discussion of each person’s underlying interests, which leads to uncovering different outcomes.