09 June Negotiating? – But How, Exactly?!

What Today’s Headlines Can Teach Us About Negotiation Tactics – Explained by the World’s Best Teachers

Anyone following current events is getting a masterclass in negotiation almost every day. Perhaps you know the feeling: sometimes you just want to put your head down on the desk for a moment.

• A little tired.
• A little overwhelmed.
• And not entirely sure who is negotiating with whom anymore or what exactly they're negotiating about.

Ceasefires are announced and then qualified. Negotiations are frozen, resumed, and reframed. Demands rise, fall, and shift. Labor negotiations begin with ambitious proposals and end far below them. Tariff deadlines come and go. What looks like everyday politics is actually a live textbook of modern negotiation tactics.

So let's take a closer look: Over the coming weeks, we will explore seven classic negotiation tactics, each illustrated by a current example from politics or business. The goal is not theory for theory’s sake, but pattern recognition: understanding more quickly what is really happening and responding more effectively in your own negotiations.

 

Seven Tactics at a Glance

Anchoring
The first number sets the frame. Whoever places it influences the entire range of possible outcomes.

Good Cop / Bad Cop
Two roles, one strategy. Pressure and empathy working together.

Salami Tactics
Many small steps that gradually create a significant overall impact.

Nibbling
The deal is almost done and then comes “just one more small thing.”

Limited Authority
“I need to check internally.” Buying time as a strategic tool.

Walk-Away / BATNA
Demonstrating that you have alternatives and are prepared to use them.

Deadline
Creating time pressure. Effective only if it is perceived as real.

Over the next few weeks, we will examine each of these tactics in detail. Using real-world examples from the headlines and an animal counterpart that has long since mastered the underlying mechanics.

On June 17, 2026, we begin with Anchoring and the question of why some negotiations never end up at the “reasonable middle ground.”

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