Arbitration & Mediation

Negotiating the Power of Consistency with ADR Services and LACBA's Linda Bulmash

By Victoria Pynchon

Friend and colleague Los Angeles attorney-mediator Linda Bulmash of ADR Services, Inc. advises  us to be consistent in negotiating the resolution of litigation in this month's LACBA negotiation tip.

The Power of Consistency in Negotiation and Mediation
 
When a person makes a public commitment to a course of behavior, the human psyche will push them to follow through with their commitment. For instance we break New Years resolutions because we seldom share them with others and usually do not write them down.

An interesting phenomenon occurs when the commitment is made public or a person pro-actively takes the first step to follow through with a course of action. An interesting research study found that although people are often unsure of their choice of the winning horse at a racetrack, they become much more confident of their choice once they place their bet. They are driven to consistency once they make a public commitment to a course of action.

Therefore experienced negotiators and mediators focus on getting people to publicly verbalize and/or write down each small commitment to follow a certain course of action (e.g. buy a car or resolve a dispute) knowing that once done publicly, it is highly likely that they will believe this is the best choice and will find a way to attain the object of their commitment.

Thanks, as always, for the great advice Linda!  And if you're looking for a local neutral, check out Lucie Baron's dynamite list of L.A. mediators here!

Full post as published by Settle It Now Negotiation Blog on December 09, 2008 (boomark / email).