Top Ten Impasse-Breaking Strategies

Posted on | June 19, 2009 |

Keeping with the “Top Ten” theme from last week, here are my Top Ten Impasse-Breaking Strategies:

1. Get or share more information
2. Switch objective criteria
3. Prioritize needs and interests
4. Brainstorm options
5. Set deadlines
6. Temporarily put aside the issue
7. Take a break
8. Move up the chain
9. Pick a fair alternative process (such as mediation or arbitration)
10. Concede

A big challenge in many negotiations revolves around how to break impasses. While there are many options, these ten are my personal favorites.

For a comprehensive discussion of each, sign up for a free trial of my ExpertNegotiator Planning & Management Software to access the online version of my book, Gain the Edge! Negotiating to Get What You Want (St. Martin’s Press 2004).

Marty Latz is the founder of Latz Negotiation Institute, a national negotiation training and consulting company, and ExpertNegotiator, a Web-based software company that helps managers and negotiators more effectively negotiate and implement best practices based on the experts’ proven research. He is also the author of Gain the Edge: Negotiating to Get What You Want. He can be reached at 480-951-3222 or Latz@ExpertNegotiator.com.

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