Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)

• It is absolutely essential to know whether to accept alternatives arrived at through negotiation versus ending negotiation
• Must consider other side BATNA as well as your own
• DevelopyourBATNAby:
• Inventingalistofpossibleactionsifthereisnoagreement
• Improvingsomeoftheideasfromthelistandcreatingpracticalalternatives
• Selectingthealternativesthatseemtobethebest

• Strenghten your BATNA by:
• Make it easier, more probable or better at satisfying interests
• If you only accept deal that is better than BATNA, improving it leads to better results.
• Consider their BATNA
• It will make it easier for you to negotiate
• Knowing it, you will realize the probabilities of reaching an agreement

Reservation value: Translation of the BATNA into a value at the table, an amount at which you are 

indifferent between reaching a deal and walking away to your BATNA

Zone of Possible Agreement (ZOPA): the bargaining range created by two reservation values The ZOPA 

defines a surplus that must be divided between the parties