Thread by @Usherwood

In the absence of any big Brexit news today (pace 'no-deal' contingency notices), a couple of thoughts on how to negotiate constructively:

1/

Common view of negotiations is that it's about winning/doing better than the other lot.

2/

This is a zero-sum view: anything they get, I must be losing.

I'm sure you can find your own real-world examples of such thinking

3/

Partly it's common because we negotiate over the price of things, so it looks zero-sum-y

Partly, it's because people tend to be a bit competitive [cough]

4/

Any way, and rather obviously, I'll argue that this zero-sum view isn't very helpful or stable

5/

Instead, it is much more constructive to think of a negotiation as an exercise in problem-solving

6/

I'm not trying to beat you; I'm trying to help us find an answer to the problem in front of us

7/

That has various important consequences on how you act

8/

Most obviously, it requires you to understand that 'they' have interests too, so you're going to have to think about, and act upon, them

9/

If I can get inside your head and understand how you see the problem, then I have a better chance to finding a mutually-acceptable solution

10/

So that points to being more open about what you want, so they can understand it better

11/

But it also means that you have to separate the people from the problem: just because they're annoying, doesn't mean you can't try to solve the problem. Although you do have to actively police the split between the two

12/

And finally, it means seeing that gains/benefits can be shared. Indeed, in practice, most negotiations are positive-sum: both parties can win

13/

I mention this as we head into the deep summer, not only as a reminder of how UK-EU talks might progress, but also the discussion w/in the UK.

14/

Rather than just shutting your ears to those you disagree with, try to understand why that is: maybe then you'll have more chance of finding some common ground and an outcome that works for everyone

/end