Negotiation Skills - Assess the Opposition

Anticipating possible directions of negotiation

Step 3. Assessing the Opposition

When preparing your case, it is to your advantage to study the likely strengths and weaknesses of the opposition’s negotiating position, and to research the background of the individuals who are doing the negotiating.

Study the opposition’s full case. Aim to expose its major weaknesses in order to undermine its strengths. Although the logical argument in favour of the opposition’s case may be strong, you may be able to counter a logical proposition with, say, a moral objection. For example, if a fish farm wants to use a new type of feed that makes the fish grow 15% more rapidly, look for any repercussions of such a fast weight gain. Research may show that the feed makes the bones of the fish so weak that they can hardly swim!

Questions to ask yourself are:

• Are the opposition under pressure to settle quickly? 
• Are the opposition experienced negotiators? 
• Do the opposition have the power and authority to achieve their aims? 
• Are there any differences in opinion among the opposition? 
• Do the opposition have the knowledge and facts necessary to achieve their aims 

Assessing strengths

Since negotiation involves a process of gradual convergence towards agreement or compromise, you need to assess the opposition’s starting point and their strengths. Do they have a strong case? Is it logical? Is it morally acceptable? Do they have a strong leader with good negotiating skills? Once you have an idea of the opposition’s strong points, assess in what direction they might go once you begin to bargain. How much room do they have to negotiate?

Try to identify the opposition’s objectives. Make a list of their supposed objectives, and prioritise them. Categorise them according to whether you think they are top, middle or low priority. Remember that these judgments can only be guesswork, and that they need to be tested by observation as the negotiation proceeds.

Analysing their weaknesses

Just as you need to understand the opposition’s strengths, you must be aware of their weaknesses - both of their case and of their individual skills. For instance, if the opposition compromises a group of people, analyse whether there is any scope to divide and rule - say, by yielding one point that you know will please some of them but displease others. Research weaknesses in their arguments in advance by looking for morally or politically problematic areas in their case that you could fully exploit. For example, a motion by the sales director of an electronic goods wholesaler to sell at a high discount some damaged electrical goods raises various ethical and legal problems that could be exploited.

Step 4. Choosing a Strategy

A strategy is an overall policy designed to achieve a number of specified objectives. It is not to be confused with tactics, which are detailed methods, used to carry out a strategy.

Your strategy will depend on several factors including personality, circumstances and the issue under negotiation. Look carefully at the dynamics of the members of your team in relation to the reasons for and subject of the negotiation, and choose players whose combined strengths and skills can best achieve the team objectives.

Just as every football team needs a goalkeeper, so every negotiation team requires certain classic roles to be filled in order to conclude negotiations successfully. These roles include the leader, good guy, bad guy, hard liner and sweeper.
The ideal negotiating team should have between three and five members and all the key roles should be represented. It is not essential for every role to be filled by a single person - it is common for individual team members to adopt a number of roles that compliment each other, and that reflect their own character traits.

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