Negotiating parties naturally focus on their own needs and pay far less attention to the needs of their adversaries. This bias toward its own needs colors the offers that each party makes, but until the needs of all parties are adequately addressed there can be no consensual resolution. So when formulating a settlement offer, consider and discuss with the mediator: What message are you trying to send? How will they interpret your offer? How are they likely to respond? Is that the response you want? If not, how can you modify your offer to make it more attractive? Your offer will be more productive if you think about how it will be received.
Francis Carter
