Textbook material for this class:

Roger Fisher and William Ury (2011). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN-13: 978-0143118756

According to Fisher, Ury, and Patton (2011), arguing over positions produces unwise outcomes. As they explain, when negotiators bargain over positions, they tend to lock themselves into those positions. The more you clarify your position and defend it against attack, the more committed you become to it (p. 4).

Describe a recent personal example in which you either participated in or witnessed a negotiation in which the two sides engaged in positional negotiations. What were the circumstances of the negotiation, what position did each side stake out, how did the negotiation progress, and how did it end? Looking back, what were the interests of each side, and how might the negotiation have produced a better outcome?