11 Comments

It's heartening to see that everything you summarize in the section 'A fresh perspective' is covered in detail in my 'Tug of War: The Tension Concept and the Art of International Negotiation' (2010), the first book on negotiation as flexible, ongoing management of ever-changing informational chaos.

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Interesting, Tony. :) :)

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This is a superb and very practical, useful newsletter about negotiation. Thanks to Michael Wheeler for putting it together.

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Can’t wait to read more! Your class was my favorite HBS class. It was also one of the most useful courses I’ve taken - I still refer back to my notes regularly.

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Hi Karina,

Thanks for your kind words about the class! As I hope was obvious, I loved teaching it. I don't know what it says about me, but I was always tinkering with it, adding new stuff--which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't.

I'm amazed that you still have your notes. Just curious, what ideas have been most useful?

Best, Mike

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author

Hi Karina,

Thanks for your kind words about the class! As I hope was obvious, I loved teaching it. I don't know what it says about me, but I was always tinkering with it, adding new stuff--which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't.

I'm amazed that you still have your notes. Just curious, what ideas have been most useful?

Best, Mike

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Of course! I think that one most useful insights I gained from the course came from the negotiation role playing exercises. I remember negotiating against someone who flat out lied to me. I had a feeling that they were lying but wasn't sure. I learned that when negotiating with someone who you don't know and who is willing to lie, unless you have Paul Eckman-level face reading skills, you may end up with a deal that is worse for you. This is why reputation is important. This is why it is important to learn about the other person's reputation / negotiation style ahead of the negotiation, if possible. Even when the other party is acting ethically, it is helpful to learn about their

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negotiation style ahead of time so that you can modify your playbook as needed. Looking back, this seems obvious but I think it is a helpful reminder.

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Excited for this! I took your class in negotiations around 2003 or 04 at HBS, and the lessons you taught there have stayed with me all these years. But negotiating is like a sport: you might still remember the rules but you can’t stay at the top of your game without practice and preparation for the game. This forum will be both.

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Great to hear from you Chris! And I agree that learning/executing is a lifelong endeavor. I'm still learning myself; that's the fun of it. Just curious: did you get an email from Substack or did you learn about Jazz some other way. Mike

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Email from substack

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