Before thinking about the techniques of negotiation, it is important to think about the end game that we are playing to achieve.

In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, management expert Stephen R. Covey describes the five games that people play for:

• Win Win
• Win Lose
• Lose Win
• Lose Lose
• Win.

Win Win €“ This means that the agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial: 'I get what I need and you get what you need'. By thinking creatively and working to understand what all parties in the negotiation want to achieve, people are often able to develop and agree solutions to a situation that meets everybody's interests. This is not about compromise or give and take, but about genuinely believing that by finding a better result all parties can achieve or get closer to their goal than merely splitting the difference

Win Lose €“ This is the adversarial approach generally adopted in negotiations, the subtext of which is 'We will win and they will lose'. It is an understandable approach to negotiation because it is so engrained in society, from comparison and competition in families and at school to the system of laws and rules in society. It is based on the assumption that the pie is a fixed size €“ if I want a bigger slice then they must have a smaller slice. It is confrontational because there can be only one winner and will not foster long-term relationships because if I lose this time, I will want to win next time

Lose Win €“ The subtext of 'I am happy to lose, so they can win' can seem an odd game to play for. Sometimes people would rather put themselves in a negative situation personally, not getting what they want or need, rather than risk upsetting others. Is it true that nice guys always come last?

Lose Lose €“ This is the game played, without realising, by many who think they are playing the Win Lose game. If both parties are determined to win and not give ground, the result is often stalemate or compromise. With a stalemate no-one gets anything so nobody is a winner. With compromise nobody gets what they really need or want, but something that they will accept. The pie is still the same size; the compromise is for everyone to not get quite the size of pie slice they need. The extreme form of this game results in one or both sides spoiling their own results to ensure that the other side doesn't get the result they want

Win €“ Is the game played by people who have no view of other people losing, because they are entirely focused on what they need. When there is no sense of competition this is a logical game to play for.