Negotiation Planning and Preparation

Start with the diagnostic questions

The mind map on diagnostic questions is a useful starting point. It asks who will participate, what goals the parties are pursuing and what they will do if they do not reach agreement. It also includes agreements. Use those headings to organize your thoughts before moving on to a broader map.

Move from questions to preparation

Next, look at the map on preparing to negotiate. Its branches include the team, an initial team meeting, the term sheet and deadlines. It also covers groundwork for open dialogue and drafting the contract. Compare these headings with the diagnostic questions: which concern the parties and their interests, and which concern the work of preparing?

Several maps share the title “Planning and Preparation for Effective Negotiation.” One describes planning before and during the negotiation process. Another introduces negotiation analysis and the need to know the situation and the parties. Open the maps to see which approach is most useful for your work.

Check your understanding with maps

This page lists no quizzes, so use the questions in the diagnostic map to check your understanding instead. Cover an answer or branch, explain it in your own words, then return to the map. You can compare your explanation with a preparation map and add any ideas you missed to your own notes.

Place the topic in the unit

Negotiation Planning and Preparation is a section of the Negotiation unit in Business administration and management (incl. project management). The maps offer different ways to approach this section, while the listed notes provide another format for studying it. Teachers can use the same sequence to select material for a discussion. Choose a map and begin with a question that interests you.