Planning Guide

NEEDS AND PRIORITIES

1. Who is the Other you are going to meet with:__________________________

2. What is the major reason (ISSUE) for this meeting_____________________

________________________________________________________________

Instructions: Indicate each major need and interest that may be related to the issue for this
negotiation. Describe each need with enough information to make sure you completely
understand it. Identify needs for both you and the Other party. Attempt to determine the Needs
and Interests of the other party as best you can (ask questions of them if you don’t know). Then
try to assign a priority to each need (e.g. high, medium or low).

* Needs refer to what you really want to achieve out of a negotiation. An Issue is a specific
negotiable element of your deal; a position is a specific goal you want to achieve on that issue;
and Interests or Needs are the more basic underlying concerns or motivational factors that
motivate a particular position.

* Priorities refer to the relative importance of needs and interests. In general, we try to
distinguish among those Needs which we "must have", "prefer to have", or "would like to have
if we could get everything". Priorities are best understood when we can put in them order of
our preferences.

Your Needs Your Priority Their Priority Their Needs

RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS

Instructions: Indicate Resources or Constraints that may be operating in this upcoming

meeting. Resources are factors that we can use to give us more power or leverage over the other
party (e.g. information, time, authority, rules and procedures, money, good BATNA,
reputations of the parties, quality of the relationship with the other, etc.) Identify whether it is
a Resource (R) or Constraint (C). Describe each Resource or Constraint with more
information to make sure you completely understand it. Identify Resources or Constraints for
both you and the Other. Then return to the list of checked Resources or Constraints and
determine how you can Strengthen Resources for yourself in this negotiation, or compensate
for Constraints by enhancing your strength elsewhere.

* Resources refer to tools and aids can be brought into a negotiation to help you get what you
want. The more Resources you can bring to bear in a negotiation (either because you have
control over them or they are present in the environment) , the more that you can use them as
"levers" to help you get what you want.

* Constraints refer to factors that are introduced into a negotiation that inhibit you from getting
what you want. The more Constraints that exist in a negotiation (either because the Other has
control over them or they are present in the environment), the less likely you will be able to get
what you want.

Your Resources and Strengthen or Their Resources and Strengthen or

Constraints Compensate? How? Constraints Compensate? How?