Artful Negotiation Essay

Reviewing the video “Artful Negotiation” with Herb Cohen
Fall 2011

Reviewing the video “Artful Negotiation” with Herb Cohen Herb Cohen said in his 1989 video “The pace of change is faster than ever…” I believe his statement still stands true in 2011. Mr. Cohen alludes to the fact that everything is a negotiation, a process which is both ancient and timeless. The video claims “Negotiation is the buzz word of our time” setting forth a definition of negotiation as “a cost effective way of reconciling differences and resolving disputes” (Cohen, 1989). On page 3 of our text, negotiation is defined as “a form of decision making in which two or more parties talk with one another in an effort to resolve their opposing interests.” The text goes on to subdivide bargaining from negotiating, and like the video, points out that many of the most important factors in shaping a negotiation occur before the parties begin to even talk, or shape the context around the negotiation (Lewicki, Barry, & Saunders, 2011). The video asserts Mr. Cohen’s idea that an artful negotiator will “play it like a game,” staying unattached and outside of the negotiation enough to maintain perspective. He suggests that we not negotiate for ourselves in that if we get too close, the negotiation gets personal. Cohen states if you “care, but not that much,” the negotiator can step back and see the interconnection (what Lewicki calls interdependence); in that way the negotiator can then see the way the issue is being framed and avoid getting trapped. Cohen also suggests that in order to be persuasive and be a successful negotiator that you must see how your opponent views the situation (Cohen, 1989). The text, in chapter 6, calls this concept “role reversal” and suggests that in doing so that there will be greater understanding between parties creating perceived similarities bringing the