Chapter 25 Exercises: Negotiation Principles for Everyday Conflict

These exercises progress from conceptual understanding to applied practice. Complete them in order for best results, as earlier exercises build skills needed for later ones.

Difficulty Key: - ★ — Foundational (recall, identify, describe) - ★★ — Intermediate (analyze, compare, apply to scenarios) - ★★★ — Advanced (synthesize, design, apply to your own situations)

Section A: Principled vs. Positional Bargaining

Exercise 25-1 [Conceptual] ★ Define positional bargaining and principled negotiation in your own words. Without looking at the chapter's comparison table, list three ways they differ. Then check your list against the table and note any dimensions you missed.

Exercise 25-2 [Conceptual] ★ Fisher and Ury identify four principles of principled negotiation. List them and write one sentence explaining the problem each principle is designed to solve.

Exercise 25-3 [Scenario] ★★ Read the following exchange and identify which negotiation style is being used and where:

Keisha: "I want to move our team meeting to Mondays." Derek: "It can't be Mondays. I have a standing client call." Keisha: "Okay, Tuesdays then." Derek: "Tuesdays are better but the afternoon is bad for me." Keisha: "Tuesday morning?" Derek: "Fine."

a) Is this principled or positional negotiation? Explain. b) What information about interests was never surfaced? c) What might have happened if they'd applied principled negotiation to this situation?

Exercise 25-4 [Conceptual] ★ The chapter states that "positional bargaining leads to bad outcomes even when it 'works.'" Explain what this means. Under what conditions does a "successful" positional negotiation still leave both parties worse off than principled negotiation would have?

Exercise 25-5 [Applied] ★★★ Think of a conflict or negotiation you've experienced in the last six months in which you bargained positionally — stated what you wanted and defended it. Write a brief description of the situation, then answer: a) What was your stated position? b) What were your actual interests beneath that position? c) What do you think the other party's interests were? d) In retrospect, was there a solution that might have satisfied both parties' interests better than the outcome you reached?

Section B: Identifying Interests Beneath Positions

Exercise 25-6 [Conceptual] ★ Explain the difference between a position and an interest. Give an original example of each (not from the chapter) from a workplace or school context.

Exercise 25-7 [Scenario] ★★ Apply the three whys technique to the following position. Write out the three "why" questions and answers, then state the underlying interest.

Position: "I want my professor to give the exam on a different day."

Exercise 25-8 [Scenario] ★★ Apply the three whys technique to each of the following positions. For each, identify the most likely underlying interest.

a) "I want to work from home on Fridays." b) "I want us to hire a third person for this project." c) "I don't want to have this conversation right now." d) "I think we should use a different vendor." e) "I need a raise."

Exercise 25-9 [Applied] ★★★ Identify a current conflict — at work, school, home, or in a relationship — where you know your position but aren't fully sure of your underlying interests. Apply the three whys technique to your own position. Write the three questions and your honest answers. What interest do you arrive at? Does this change how you think about the conflict?

Exercise 25-10 [Scenario] ★★ The chapter lists six common interest categories: security, recognition, autonomy, relationship, substance, and process. For each of the following conflicts, identify which interest category is most likely driving the stated position:

a) An employee insisting on being CC'd on all emails related to a project she's not officially leading. b) A student refusing to work with a specific partner on a group project. c) A partner in a relationship demanding they always choose the restaurant. d) An employee insisting that a decision she disagrees with be formally documented. e) A manager refusing to delegate a task despite being overloaded.

Exercise 25-11 [Synthesis] ★★★ You're preparing for a difficult conversation with your landlord about a rent increase. Your position is "I can't afford this increase." Before the conversation: a) Apply the three whys to your own position. b) Apply the three whys (as best you can) to your landlord's position ("We need to raise the rent"). c) Identify whether any interests might be shared or complementary. d) Identify two questions you could ask in the conversation to surface your landlord's actual interests.

Section C: Generating Options for Mutual Gain

Exercise 25-12 [Conceptual] ★ What is the brainstorming protocol for options generation described in the chapter? List the five steps in order and explain why step one — establishing the no-evaluation ground rule — matters.

Exercise 25-13 [Scenario] ★★ Two colleagues, Ana and Ben, share a workspace. Ana needs quiet to do deep work; Ben makes phone calls throughout the day.

Generate at least eight possible options for addressing this conflict. Do not evaluate any of them during generation — just list. After generating, circle the two or three that seem most likely to dovetail both parties' interests. Explain why you chose those.

Exercise 25-14 [Conceptual] ★★ Define the "dovetailing" principle. Explain why dovetailing options are better than compromise options. Give an original example that illustrates the difference.

Exercise 25-15 [Applied] ★★★ Using a current or recent conflict in your life, conduct a structured options generation exercise: a) State the conflict in one sentence. b) List the interests of each party (use three whys if needed). c) Set a timer for ten minutes and generate as many options as possible without evaluating any. d) Identify which options dovetail — which satisfy both parties' core interests. e) Select two or three to bring into a real or hypothetical conversation.

Exercise 25-16 [Scenario] ★★ The chapter suggests several generative questions to expand the solution space: - "What if we changed the scope?" - "What if we changed the timeline?" - "What would solve this in a way neither of us has thought of?" - "What would an outside observer suggest?" - "What resources or constraints haven't we considered?"

Apply all five questions to the following conflict: A student club wants to hold a large event, but the only suitable campus space is booked on their preferred date.

Section D: Objective Criteria

Exercise 25-17 [Conceptual] ★ What is an objective criterion in negotiation? Why does using objective criteria tend to produce better outcomes than relying on each party's subjective preferences?

Exercise 25-18 [Scenario] ★★ For each of the following conflicts, identify at least two objective criteria that might be applicable:

a) A salary dispute between an employee and manager. b) A conflict between roommates about how to split utility bills. c) A disagreement between partners about where to live after one gets a job offer. d) A dispute between a contractor and client about project timeline. e) A disagreement between team members about who should lead a presentation.

Exercise 25-19 [Applied] ★★★ Identify a current conflict where you have an opinion about what's "fair." What criteria are you using — implicitly — to define fairness? Are those criteria you would apply even if they favored the other party? What external standards (data, policy, precedent, expert opinion) might serve as objective criteria both parties could accept?

Exercise 25-20 [Synthesis] ★★★ The chapter notes that objective criteria should be: independently verifiable, mutually acknowledged as relevant, and applied consistently. Evaluate each of the following proposed criteria against these three requirements:

a) "What I think a fair salary is based on my experience" — proposed during a salary negotiation. b) "Bureau of Labor Statistics median salary for this job title in this region" — proposed during the same negotiation. c) "What the department head thinks is appropriate" — proposed during a workspace dispute. d) "Company policy on workspace allocation" — proposed during the same workspace dispute. e) "What my doctor thinks is medically necessary" — proposed during a conflict about a medical decision.

Section E: BATNA

Exercise 25-21 [Conceptual] ★ Define BATNA. Explain the difference between your BATNA and your walkaway point, and between your BATNA and your wish list.

Exercise 25-22 [Scenario] ★★ Jade is negotiating with her employer about her work schedule. She wants to shift from opening shifts to mid-day shifts because she's enrolled in a morning class. Her employer prefers she keep opening shifts.

a) What might Jade's BATNA be if no schedule change is agreed? b) What might her employer's BATNA be if Jade refuses to keep opening shifts? c) How does the relative strength of each party's BATNA affect their negotiating leverage?

Exercise 25-23 [Applied] ★★★ Use the BATNA calculation worksheet from the chapter for a real upcoming negotiation in your life. Complete each section honestly: - Your alternatives if no agreement is reached (minimum 3) - Your BATNA (identify the best alternative) - Your BATNA quality score (1-10) - Your estimate of the other party's alternatives - Their likely BATNA and quality score - Implications for how you should negotiate

Exercise 25-24 [Conceptual] ★★ The chapter states that you can often improve your BATNA before a negotiation begins. Explain what this means and why it matters. Give three examples of how a person might improve their BATNA before a negotiation in a workplace context.

Exercise 25-25 [Scenario] ★★ Sam is negotiating a contract rate with a new client. The client wants to pay $75/hour. Sam's target rate is $95/hour.

Sam has three alternatives if no agreement is reached: - Existing client who pays $80/hour but has limited hours available - A job posting she applied for that pays $85,000/year (about $43/hour equivalent) - Continuing to pursue new clients (currently slow)

a) What is Sam's BATNA? b) What is her BATNA quality score (roughly)? c) What is the minimum rate she should accept from this new client? d) How might Sam improve her BATNA before the next negotiation?

Section F: Integration Exercises

Exercise 25-26 [Synthesis] ★★★ Design a principled negotiation for the following scenario from scratch. Address all four principles and include BATNA analysis for both parties.

Scenario: Marcus's supervisor Diane has asked him to take on additional responsibilities — preparing weekly case summaries for the senior partners — without additional compensation. The additional work would take approximately 3-5 hours per week. Marcus is already working near his maximum capacity and is taking the LSAT in four months.

For both Marcus and Diane: a) Identify likely interests (using three whys) b) Identify potential objective criteria c) Generate at least five options d) Estimate each party's BATNA e) Identify the most promising dovetailing option

Exercise 25-27 [Synthesis] ★★★ You are preparing for a confrontation with a close friend who has repeatedly borrowed money from you and paid it back late or inconsistently. You want this to stop; they want continued flexibility because their income is inconsistent.

Apply the full principled negotiation framework: a) Separate the person (your friendship) from the problem (the money arrangement) b) Identify both parties' interests c) Identify applicable objective criteria d) Generate at least six options e) Calculate your BATNA f) Identify any dovetailing options g) Write a two-sentence opening statement for the conversation that reflects principled (not positional) framing

Exercise 25-28 [Conceptual] ★★ The chapter draws a connection between Chapter 2's Five-Layer Model and negotiation: positions (Layer 2), interests (Layer 3), values (Layer 4). Explain this connection. At what level of the Five-Layer Model would you need to work if the parties' interests turned out to be genuinely opposed?

Exercise 25-29 [Applied] ★★★ Observe a negotiation in your life this week — it can be as minor as deciding where to eat dinner or as significant as a work discussion. Note: a) Did the parties bargain positionally or principally? b) Were interests surfaced or only positions? c) Was options generation attempted? d) Were objective criteria used? e) What was the outcome?

After observing, write a brief analysis: what would the conversation have looked like if principled negotiation had been applied?

Exercise 25-30 [Synthesis] ★★★ Capstone Exercise: Identify the most significant recurring conflict in your life — one where you've had the same argument (or avoided having it) multiple times. Apply the full principled negotiation framework:

a) Write out the positional version of the conflict as it typically goes. b) Identify interests for yourself (use three whys). c) Identify interests for the other party (use three whys and your best hypothesis). d) Identify any shared or complementary interests. e) Identify at least one objective criterion. f) Generate at least eight options. g) Calculate your BATNA. h) Identify the two or three most promising options to bring to a real conversation. i) Write a reflection: How is principled negotiation different from how you've been approaching this conflict?