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Things To Do If You Want To Cut Down On Negotiation Time

Cutting down negotiation time is something that is possible. There are steps you have to take in order for you to cut down your time of negotiation.

Step 1: List Areas Of Interest For Both Parties

You can break it down by first listing your areas of interest and then making another list for the other party. You should be able to do this because you are already aware of the issue that is bringing both parties to the negotiation table.

Another thing is some of these negotiations take place as a last resort before heading to the courts so the reason and interests would have already been known. Lawyers would have met and issued would have been discussed.

Step 2: Drawing Up Solutions

After listing the different areas of interest for both parties, which is something you should do before the commencement of the negotiation, the next thing will be to look at the areas where interests clash. Tackle each item and draw up a list of solutions for each bearing in mind that you will be presenting them to the other party and you want to cut the time of negotiation.

Step 3: Presenting Solutions On The Day Of Meeting

You have already anticipated areas of conflict and have listed them out. You have also provided possible solutions for each area and the solutions are compelling enough for the other party to take them seriously because they are quite favorable to him or her.

Moreover, you have made multiple solutions, creating more options and presenting a variety of choices for the other person. in other words, you have given the person the high ground, making him or her feel they have the stronger position bearing in mind that you want to cut short the time of negotiation.

The next thing to do is to present the solutions to the person as the first item on the negotiation table. Do a quick summary of the reason why everybody has come to the negotiation table, list the areas of conflict and have the other person look at the areas you have drawn up.

Itemization And Engagement

Having them look is a way of engaging them in your plan. It makes them tacitly involved and committed without being aware of it. You invite them to look as the list, add or make suggestions but you have already made sure that you have covered every available area of interests especially where there are clashes.

Once they agree on the areas of interest and clashes, which is something they will do quickly enough since you have covered every available area, move to presenting the solutions in an itemized format. That is, picking one area where your interests clashes, go through the motion of listing the available solutions for that area, then go back and treat each solution one after the other, itemizing its merit and demerit.

Make them accept of discard the solutions as you proffer them and they will eventually settle for one. As soon as they settle for one, move on to the next area where interests clash and repeat the process of going through the multiple solutions while itemizing the merits and demerits of each. By so doing you would be working through the negotiation at a comfortable speed and avoiding all the nuances that will need to deadlocks and time wastage.

Cutting The Time And Concessions

The whole idea is to get them involved and engaged to coming to a conclusion of the negotiation by picking the solution that suits them the most. You might want to avoid the idea of concessions or you might include a concession for each solution.

Concessions on their part create delays because the other party would like to weigh what is being demanded of them against what is being offered or what they feel they will lose. You want to cut this off because it would waste time. You can do this be avoiding concessions from their end altogether. There is the reality that this might not favor you but if it would, it will be the best way forward if you do not want to waste time.

However, you can also decide to add concessions to every itemized solution in such a ways that it will show what both parties will be losing as it were. Placing them side by side will give the other party the correct sense of proportion and will be willing to pick the solution that suits them. You can also place the concession you are demanding from them side by side with what they will be gaining from you so that they rather than do a loss to los comparison they will be doing a gain to loss comparison. This will make them more aware of what they will be gaining.

Presentation and format is function of what will benefit you the most and cut the time of negotiation. doing the loss to loss or gain to loss comparisons can benefit you but this may depend on what is at stake for both parties.

In the final analysis, it will serve to cut the negotiation time since it will be all about rejecting or accepting what is on the table and you would have placed more than one thing that will be acceptable to them with varying sweeteners as well as bitter pills they might have to swallow. You would have achieved the objective of cutting the negotiation time.

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