Brainstorming Methods

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Author:
Bill Scarpino

Every person negotiates every aspect of their lives. No one can negotiate until they understand the situation. Wherever there is conflict there is a problem to be solved. This involves getting two or more people to agree on something. Problem solving is an essential skill of any effect negotiator.

Problem solving starts with defining the problem. Overcoming a problem cannot be accomplished until the problem has been identified. Often the issue that appears to be the problem overshadows the actual underlying cause or causes of dissension. To resolve the problem the real causes of dissension must be addressed.

Mediators observe closely how each of the parties reacts to suggested solutions to identify which party has additional issues that need to be brought up and addressed before a final resolution initiative will be well received.

One method of identifying ancillary issues is to start each negotiation conference or session with a casual conversation with the other side. During this casual dialogue listen for personal, business, or totally unrelated issues that may hinder open communication about the main issue. Look for indications that suggest the other person is uncomfortable with you or the group.

Once you have collected the available "intelligence" separate the issues into those that have an impact on your discussions and those that do not. If any of the issues that are not related can be satisfied with input on your part, offer it during the casual conversation preamble to the serious negotiation. This can be anything from how to get a parking ticket validated to consoling the other person on a personal situation. The goal here is to build a supportive relationship with the person that transgresses the main issue.

For the issues you have uncovered that relate to the matter at hand, separate the "wants" from the "needs". You will want to focus on ways to satisfy the "needs" of the other parry.

Problem solving is the meat of dispute resolution. By expanding the issues being addressed, the parties are providing the opportunity to resolve the dispute by pairing ancillary problem solutions so that both people emerge feeling a sense of victory. Win/Win negotiating is not so much about appeasing both sides as it is about pairing needs and satisfiers so that both parties think that they have come away with more than what they had to give away to reach the agreement.

About the author:

Bill Scarpino is a professional negotiator and restructuring consultant. He writes about how people negotiate almost everything in their daily lives from personal issues to business challenges.

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Brainpower... How To Create Successful Ideas Through Brainstorming The most successful companies are the ones that are constantly coming up with new and innovative ways of doing business. They are always searching for the one great idea that will launch a successful product line or cut costs in difficult times. Progressive and savvy companies know that great ideas aren’t developed in a vacuum and that ideas can come from anyone in the organization. Taking a cue from their colleagues in advertising, they implement brainstorming sessions to encourage employees to express their ideas. Brainstorming spurs employees to develop solutions for a problem in a freewheeling and exciting group atmosphere. The result of a successful brainstorming session could be a list of several hundred ideas, not just one or two. From this wide-ranging list, there may be the one idea that changes the course of the company. Before you can implement brainstorming in your company it’s important to understand what brainstorming is and is not. Brainstorming is not a solution to a problem but, rather, a way to identify a number of possible solutions. There are three stages of problem solving that you need to be aware of for brainstorming sessions to be effective. They are: problem definition, idea generation and evaluation. In fact brainstorming itself facilitates the second stage by defining a set of possible solutions, because ideas are generated when individuals are relaxed and free to develop creative solutions. While brainstorming is meant to be a freewheeling, open discussion, there are four important rules that need to be followed. 1. The participants should never criticize any ideas. Brainstorming should encourage a wide range of ideas. Criticism inhibits the participants, and a great idea may be lost because of it. The leader should do whatever is...