Unhappy Coworker

The purpose of this exercise is to apply the five negotiation skills presented in this chapter to an actual negotiation situation. You have inherited from your parents half of an undivided interest in a summer home with some prime acreage on a nearby lake. Your co-owner was your father’s friend and partner in a number of enterprises. For years your two families have shared this summer house on alternating weekends and holidays without any problems. Your co-owner, however, is ready to sell the property and believes someone will buy it to redevelop it from a summer cottage to four upscale vacation homes. You are not interested in selling, but are willing to buy your co-owner out at the current fair market value. That value is considerably less than your co-owner believes the property is worth. When you can’t reach agreement, your co-owner simply sells his interest to a third party, who may or may not be the potential developer.

This new co-owner tries to buy you out and when you refuse he begins to make changes to the property without consulting you. When you complain, he threatens to petition a court to force the sale of the land – which would mean both of you would lose control, which he thinks you are not willing to allow. You decide to try and negotiate a deal so you can continue to use the property as you did growing up. In order to do so, your co-owner will have to shelve any improvement plans he has for the property.

Answer these questions.

Skill 5-1: Assuming your BATNA is letting a court sell the property, can it help you reach an agreement? Why or why not?

Skill 5-2: What are your power sources and your co-owner’s power sources in this

negotiation? How can you strengthen your power position?

Skill 5-3: Can you present a logical and an emotional argument to persuade your co-owner to agree to a deal?

Skill 5-4: What nonverbal...