Focus on interests, not positions
Dig beneath what each side demands to why they want it — the interest, not the stance.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Dig beneath what each side demands to why they want it — the interest, not the stance.
- Why it works: A position is one solution a person has fixed on; the interest is the underlying need it was meant to satisfy. Positions clash because they’re single points, but interests are multiple and often compatible — so working at the interest level reveals overlaps that positional bargaining hides. Most interests can be met in more than one way.
- Evidence: Plausible mechanism, limited direct outcome data.
- Avoid: Negotiating the two stated positions as if they’re the only options, so the talk becomes a tug-of-war with no room to create value.
Why it works
A position is one solution a person has fixed on; the interest is the underlying need it was meant to satisfy. Positions clash because they’re single points, but interests are multiple and often compatible — so working at the interest level reveals overlaps that positional bargaining hides. Most interests can be met in more than one way.
How to do it
- 1For each demand, ask "why?" and "why not?" until you reach the underlying need.
- 2List your own interests and your best guess at theirs before you talk numbers.
- 3Acknowledge their interests as part of the problem, then look for solutions serving both.
What the evidence says
MechanisticA foundational tenet of the Harvard Negotiation Project. The interests-vs-positions distinction is widely taught and consistent with research on integrative bargaining, though the book itself is a framework, not an experiment.
Honest caveat: Mechanistically sound and widely adopted; treat it as a well-reasoned framework rather than a single quantified study.
Common mistake
Negotiating the two stated positions as if they’re the only options, so the talk becomes a tug-of-war with no room to create value.
IX Coach helps you map your own interests and the other side’s before a negotiation, so you walk in arguing needs rather than entrenched numbers.
Practice this with IX Coach →