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The Value of a Pre-Negotiation Check List

By James A. Baker
Founder and Chairman
Baker Communications, Inc.

If you are a pilot, you know the necessity and the value of a pre-flight check list; you can’t afford to risk leaving the ground until you are certain that everything is in order. Well, it is pretty much the same when preparing for a negotiation; you can’t afford to start a negotiation until you have gone over your own pre-negotiation check list. This list is something you develop during the Preparation Phase of the negotiation process (remember, the five phases of negotiation are Prepare, Discuss, Propose, Bargain and Evaluate). Of the five phases, the Preparation phase is by far the most important. Most people assume that Bargaining is the most important phase, but trust me on this, if you fail to thoroughly prepare, you are probably going to leave money on the table during the bargaining phase.

The pre-negotiation check list is a quick way to run through all the decisions you need to make and the strategies you need to develop to be fully prepared to negotiate. There are a lot of factors on this list, but you need to cover them all before you sit down at the negotiating table. Your list should cover:

• Who has the power, and why? Power is often a matter of perception. Look for ways that your side can create power, even if it looks on paper like the other side is stronger. If you have anything they want, you have more power than you think you do.

• What kind of relationship or previous history do we have with the other side? Is it good? Bad? Will it create obstacles during the conversation? If so, how can you overcome them?

• Is there any common ground or goals shared by both parties? How can we use this to our advantage?...

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