Negotiation Prep

What it is

Ready for a talk that matters. Your mentee writes a goal, a limit and the best option if there is no deal.

When to send it

Send it before a big ask. Send it a week or two before the talk, so there is time to rehearse.

• Paya raise or a new offer
• Promotiona new title or level
• Investmenta round or a budget

Filling it in

Twenty minutes, step by step. Start with the three basics, then the other side, then your answers.

1. Goal, limit, alternativeStart with these three; they are required.
2. What matters to each sideTheirs, yours, and options for both.
3. Evidence and answersYour proof, first sentence and replies to hard questions.

Reading the answers

Check the basics line first. At a glance shows if goal, limit and alternative are written.

• Basicsgoal, limit and alternative written
• Evidence pointsresults they can show
• Options for both sidesroom to agree

Questions to ask

Ask, then let them answer aloud. People who ask follow-up questions are liked more (Huang and others, 2017).

• Is your goal ambitious enough, or did you lower it before you started?then: where did you start from?
• Which question worries you most? Answer it out loud now.then: shall we try it once more?
• What will you do if the answer today is no?then: is your alternative real?

Why it works

Knowing your best option if there is no deal, and what both sides want, are core ideas from Fisher and Ury (1981). A meta-analysis found women start negotiations slightly less often than men, and the gap is smaller when it is clear what is open to negotiation (Kugler et al. 2018).

Sources

• Fisher, R. & Ury, W. (1981). Getting to Yes. The idea of the best alternative to a negotiated agreement.
• Kugler, K. G., Reif, J. A. M., Kaschner, T. & Brodbeck, F. C. (2018). Gender differences in the initiation of negotiations: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 144(2), 198–222.

How a tool works on Mentornity

1. 1The mentor picks a tool from the library and sends it with a short message.
2. 2The mentee fills it in step by step; the answers are saved as they go.
3. 3Both see the answers, comment on any part and agree the next steps.
4. 4Only the two of them see the answers, not the program admins.

Guides for both sides

• Negotiation Prep for MentorsFor mentors and coaches: when to send the Negotiation Prep, how to read the basics, which questions to ask and how to rehearse the talk.
• Negotiation Prep for MenteesFor mentees and coachees: what the Negotiation Prep is, how to fill it in, where to find it and what your mentor does with it.

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