Defending Your Life: Negotiation Strategies Illustrated in Film


In Nearly ALL Situations, Don't Accept the First Offer. Duh!



Defending Your Life focuses on a transition stage in which recently dead folks must show to a panel of after-life judges that they have lived full and fearless lives.  If they fail at this proof, they must return to earth and try again. Meryl Streep appears with Albert Brooks who wrote, directed, and starred in the film.

I use a clip that shows Daniel Miller, played by Brooks, negotiating for his salary at a new job.  He has died suddenly when his car hits a bus head-on. Examples from his life, including the salary negotiation, increasingly show his fear. 

In this clip, he begs his wife to practice with him the night before the salary negotiation, and then, he abandons the approach he had practiced.

The clip allows me to discuss the gravitational pull of opening offers, who should open first, appropriate concession patterns, and leverage derived from your BATNA.   

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

12th Al Jazeera Forum: Session 4 - Changing Alliances in the Region

The 12th Al Jazeera Forum: Session 7 - Where is the Gulf Headed?

The 12th Al Jazeera Forum: Session 6 - The Media During Times of Crisis