Capstone: Negotiate a Complete Scenario

Everything Comes Together

🔄 Quick Recall: Over seven lessons, you’ve built a complete negotiation system. From interest-based thinking (Lesson 1) to preparation frameworks (Lesson 2), from anchoring (Lesson 3) to active listening (Lesson 4), from value creation (Lesson 5) to salary scripts (Lesson 6), and from conflict resolution (Lesson 7) to this capstone. Now you execute the full process.

The Capstone Scenario

Your assignment: Complete a full negotiation using every technique from this course.

Choose one of these scenarios (or use a real negotiation you’re facing):

Negotiate a job offer for a role you want
Negotiate a freelance contract with a new client
Renegotiate terms with an existing vendor or supplier
Negotiate a raise and promotion with your current manager
Resolve a conflict between two team members as a mediator

Step 1: Prepare Your One-Page Brief (15 minutes)

Using the framework from Lesson 2:

Help me build a complete negotiation preparation brief.

SCENARIO: [describe your negotiation]
OTHER PARTY: [who, their role, their situation]

Build:
1. MY INTERESTS (ranked top 5)
2. THEIR LIKELY INTERESTS (ranked top 5)
3. MY BATNA and how I could improve it
4. MY NUMBERS: Anchor / Target / Reservation price
5. TRADEABLE VARIABLES (at least 6)
6. THREE PACKAGE OPTIONS I could propose
7. TOP 3 OBJECTIONS they'll raise + my responses

✅ Quick Check: Before moving to the next step, can you list the five steps of the preparation framework from Lesson 2? (Interests, their interests, BATNA, range, and tradeable variables.)

Step 2: Practice the Opening (10 minutes)

Set your anchor and opening position using Lesson 3 techniques:

Using my preparation brief: [paste it]

Help me craft:
1. My opening statement with a justified anchor
2. My response if they counter-anchor aggressively
3. The first 3 questions I should ask to uncover
   their interests
4. My concession plan (first, second, third moves)

Step 3: Run the Full Simulation (20 minutes)

This is the core exercise. Use AI as your counterpart:

Simulate a complete negotiation. You are [describe
the other party and their role].

Your hidden information:
- You have a budget of [realistic range]
- Your top priorities are [list 3]
- You're under pressure to [constraint]
- Your BATNA is [their alternative]

Rules:
- Be realistic—push back, ask tough questions, show
  emotion when appropriate
- Don't make it easy—I need to use my techniques
- After we reach an agreement (or impasse), evaluate
  my performance across all dimensions

Go. I'll make the opening move.

Negotiate for at least 10 exchanges. Use every technique: anchoring, calibrated questions, mirroring, labeling, logrolling, silence, and bridging.

Step 4: Debrief (10 minutes)

After the simulation, analyze your performance:

The negotiation just ended. Here's what happened:
[summarize the key exchanges and outcome]

Evaluate my performance on:
1. PREPARATION: Did I use my brief effectively?
2. ANCHORING: Was my opening justified and effective?
3. LISTENING: Did I gather information about their
   interests?
4. VALUE CREATION: Did I expand the pie or just
   divide it?
5. EMOTION MANAGEMENT: Did I stay composed?
6. OUTCOME: How close to my target? Better or worse
   than my BATNA?

Give me 3 specific improvements for my next negotiation.

Course Summary

Here’s every technique from this course organized as a permanent reference:

Lesson	Key Principle	Quick Reminder
1. Welcome	Interest-based negotiation	Ask WHY, not just WHAT
2. Preparation	Five-step preparation framework	Interests, BATNA, range, variables, options
3. Anchoring	First number shapes everything	Ambitious, justified, and precise
4. Listening	Listen 70%, talk 30%	Mirror, label, calibrated questions
5. Value creation	Expand the pie	Logroll, add variables, contingent deals
6. Salary	Total compensation focus	Negotiate after the offer, use market data
7. Difficult conversations	Emotions before substance	Observe, don’t judge; acknowledge, then advocate
8. Capstone	Full process execution	Prepare → anchor → listen → create → close

The Negotiation Improvement Cycle

Every negotiation follows the same cycle:

Before: Prepare thoroughly. Research interests, calculate BATNA, set your range, identify trades.

During: Listen more than you talk. Use calibrated questions. Create value through trades. Manage emotions—yours and theirs.

After: Debrief systematically. What worked? What did you miss? What would you do differently?

Over time: You build pattern recognition. You start seeing interests behind positions automatically. You stay calm under pressure because you’ve practiced. You find creative options because your brain is trained to look for them.

Key Takeaways

The full negotiation process flows from preparation through anchoring, listening, value creation, and closing
Every negotiation is practice for the next one; structured debriefs accelerate improvement
Walking away when the best deal is worse than your BATNA is discipline, not failure
AI-simulated negotiations provide unlimited, realistic practice at no risk

Congratulations

You now have a systematic approach to negotiation that works in any context—salary discussions, vendor contracts, team conflicts, or deciding where to eat dinner. The techniques from this course have been tested by diplomats, business leaders, and FBI negotiators. They work because they’re grounded in psychology, not tricks.

The best negotiators aren’t aggressive or manipulative. They’re prepared, curious, and creative. They listen more than they talk. They look for ways to make both parties better off. And they practice relentlessly.

AI gives you something no previous generation of negotiators had: unlimited, realistic practice available anytime. Use it. Every simulated negotiation makes the real ones easier.