What's Happening in Conflict Resolution" is a weekly round up of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more. Check it out each week and view past versions [HERE].

When Negotiating a Square Deal, Be Careful With Round Numbers

Seth Stevenson/Slate.com- In the world of head-to-head negotiations, the person who first suggests a dollar figure must do so carefully. The opening episode of Slate's Negotiation Academy (a podcast series I co-hosted) addressed this concept, with behavioral economist Dan Ariely explaining the importance of "anchoring": If I'm selling you a used curio, and we’re haggling over it, and neither of us is exactly sure what the curio’s proper value is, I'm better off naming an extremely high number right off the bat—instead of waiting for you to make a (presumably much lower) initial offer. By acting first and throwing my inflated number out there, I can psychologically "anchor" the bargaining around it. It's a powerful tactic that gives me an advantage as the negotiation proceeds.

Now comes news of some further tactical wisdom regarding initial prices. A paper released Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Researchargues that significantly different negotiation outcomes will result if that initial number I put forth is a rounded-off figure (such as $500) as opposed to a more precise amount (such as $498.92). 

Read the full article at Slate.com [HERE]. 

Four Ways To Win Any Negotiation

Larry Myler- Many people, when negotiating, think they have to “beat their opponent” in order to get what they want. However, there are better tactics that can yield superior outcomes. Negotiation needn’t be adversarial if undertaken as an effort to re...  Approaching these encounters with the attitude that your counterpart is your enemy makes a good result a lot more difficult to achieve. Winning a negotiation means getting the most value out of the deal, rather than defeating the other party. Here are four ways to make that happen.

1. Make the pie bigger. Fixed-pie negotiations assume there is a limited amount of benefit to go around. “Take it or leave it” is a fairly uncreative thing to say in a negotiation, and it will get you fewer wins...

Read more from Forbes.com [HERE]. 

How to Negotiate Like A Pro

From MensFitness.com- Have your eye on that ’96 Skylark, but want to spend only X number of dollars on it? Making just a slight adjustment in the way you phrase the negotiation can be the difference between driving it away with grocery money still in your pocket and eating ramen noodles till your next paycheck, German researchers say. 

Instead of saying, “I’ll take the Skylark for $1,500,” say, “I’ll give you $1,500 for your Skylark.”

Why? Read more [HERE] and find out. 

Small talk before negotiation yields benefits

WASHINGTON: Having a little chat before negotiation can help men seal big deals. Small talk can build social capital for men and increases their likelihood of beneficial gains from negotiation, says new research.

“We saw a boost in positive negotiation outcomes for men when they engaged in small talk before the negotiation,” said Alexandra Mislin from American University’s Kogod School of Business.

“Even a little small talk contributed to getting a better deal,” Mislin added.

Read more from Tribune.com.pk [HERE].