Mind and Heart of the Negotiator, Second Edition, The

Conclusion

We have discussed the use of power and persuasion at the bargaining table. A negotiator's BATNA is her most important source of power in negotiation. However, relying only on your BATNA as a source of power may mean that you get only the value of your BATNA in the present negotiation. Ideally, negotiators want to use their BATNA to leverage their position. To do this, negotiators must continually attempt to improve upon their BATNA and signal to the other party that they have alternatives. Status, independent of one's BATNA, is often a source of power in negotiation; however, people often rely on pseudostatus characteristics. Information is also an important source of power in negotiation; other sources of potential power are social ...