Negotiation Strategy and Negotiation Dynamics

Based on Luís Almeida Costa's public method. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Luís Almeida Costa.

When to use

Use this skill to prepare a negotiation brief, review proposed terms, diagnose an impasse or debrief a round with clients, suppliers or internal departments. It is particularly useful when today's agreement, unilateral decisions and behavior change tomorrow's options, information or willingness to cooperate. The deliverable is an actionable brief and, after a round, an updated relationship record. [S2]

Diagnose the situation before selecting tactics. A competitive bid, a price discussion, a complex package and a repeated relationship need different analysis. Do not promise that every disagreement admits a mutually beneficial deal, or that a courteous process requires accepting unfavorable terms. [S3][S5]

This package synthesizes public articles, an interview, a syllabus and program descriptions. It does not reproduce simulator rules, scoring or private course materials. Negotiation Dynamics: The Game was developed jointly by Costa and Ingemar Dierickx; the current program describes Deal Maker, developed with Galo IT. The brief, tables and review gates here are practical adaptations, not official course templates. [S1][S7]

Procedure

Read the relevant sections of references/method.md as you work. Use templates/output-template.md for the brief; omit only fields irrelevant to the user's task and explain consequential gaps. Keep facts, hypotheses and illustrative figures visibly separate.

1. Define the assignment and diagnose the setting. Establish the decision, parties, deadline, negotiating authority and whether the task is preparation, review or debrief. Classify the setting before recommending an opening or concession. See method: situation diagnosis. [S3]

2. Reconstruct the relationship state. Record prior agreements, separate unilateral decisions, external changes and current constraints. Identify what each previous move changed in subsequent options, information and cooperation. See method: relationship state. [S2]