Negotiations and Resolving Conflicts:

"Every desire that demands satisfaction and every need to be met-is at least potentially an occasion for negotiation; whenever people exchange ideas with the intention of changing relationships, whenever they confer for agreement, they are negotiating."

So begins this resource page from Professor Wertheim of Northeastern University that provides a comprehensive overview of many valuable concepts including the following:

“The Five Modes of Responding to Conflict [including]…the two most problematic types: Collaborative (integrative) and Competitive (Distributive)…

Rational vs. the Emotional Components of Negotiation

All negotiations involve two levels: a rational decision making (substantive) process and a psychological (emotional) process. The outcome of a negotiation is as likely to be a result of both. Most of us understand the need to grasp the substantive or rational aspects of negotiation. For many of us it is the psychological aspects that are more difficult….

Integrative or Win-Win Bargaining:
Keys to Integrative Bargaining

Orient yourself towards a win-win approach: your attitude going into negotiation plays a huge role in the outcome
Plan and have a concrete strategy...be clear on what is important to you and why it is important
Know your BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Alternative)
Separate people from the problem
Focus on interests, not positions; consider the other party's situation:
Create Options for Mutual Gain:
Generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do
Aim for an outcome based on some objective standard
Pay a lot of attention to the flow of negotiation;
Take the Intangibles into account; communicate carefully
Use Active Listening Skills; rephrase, ask questions and then ask some more…”