[Partnerwerks TeamWisdom Tips] Common Ground
NEGOTIATION TIP #1: APPRECIATE COMMON GROUND
10-Second TeamWisdom: When common interests
are important, you more naturally strive for
mutual wins.
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We all negotiate all the time. When engaged
in disagreement, it's easy to forget how many
interests we share--i.e., our common ground.
For example, when a teammate and I grow upset
over NOT reaching a joint decision, rather
than get nasty, one of us usually "goes to
the balcony." "Going to the balcony" is
William Ury's term for changing one's
viewpoint from being IN the fray, to
OBSERVING the fray you're in. (See "Getting
Past No: Negotiating With Difficult People")
From the balcony, I see myself acting like
I'm solely occupying an island of
righteousness instead of sharing a continent
of ideas with an associate. Once I've
acknowledged this out loud, my associate too
usually goes to the balcony and wants to
consider our common ground. It's easier to
see that the figurative ground each
individual is so busy defending actually
belongs to both. And, once the parties can
agree to view that ground together, a
satisfying resolution frequently reveals
itself.
Folks with TeamWisdom know that establishing
common ground is far better applied BEFORE
disagreement drives two parties apart than
AFTERWARD when egos have to be swallowed,
words have to be reclaimed, and a mess has to
be cleaned up before you can even look at the
problem together.
To establish common ground early in any
negotiation, begin by appreciating your
common interests. You can get MORE of what
you want--and so can the other party. Try it.
Get started with this week's 5-minute
Practice Tip.
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5-Minute Practice Tip: With whom are you
occupying separate islands of righteousness
and could appreciate sharing a continent of
ideas? Take advantage of the view from the
balcony and improve at least one negotiation.
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Get "Teamwork Is an Individual Skill: Getting
Your Work Done When Sharing Responsibility"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576751554/partnerofficeont
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© Christopher Avery, 2003. Permission granted
to forward in its entirety. All other rights
reserved. Contact for reprint permission.
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Factoid: The more people directly involved in
a negotiation, even if lopsided, the fairer
it tends to be.
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