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Flip a Coin

 

Disciplines > Negotiation > Negotiation tactics > Flip a Coin

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

 

Description

If you cannot agree, suggest rolling dice or flipping a coin to decide who gets a disputed resource.

You can also suggest this if the other person is gaining an advantage over you or where they are being obstructive.

This is a good method to use when it seems that you have a less than 50% chance of getting what you want through normal negotiation. It is also useful when the discussion is about who should have a single item, where one person getting it means the other person gets nothing (or a lesser item).

If they are suspicious, you can let them flip the coin. If they do so, ensure the coin falls to the floor rather than being caught (where tricky peek-and-flip methods can be used).

Example

Look, we're getting nowhere. Let's just toss a coin to see who gets it.

If you can guess which hand I've got it in, then you can have it, otherwise I keep it. Ok?.

Discussion

This is a suggestion of using random chance to decide, and while it may seem unsophisticated it is actually very fair when the reasons for each person wanting something are both valid.

Tossing a coin has the advantage of being a quick and clear method, which makes it useful when you are in a hurry and where getting the disputed item or not is not a critical issue.

The simplicity of the method makes it useful with children and friends, where a quick, fair decision is important to keep things going and to preserve a relationship that may be strained by regular protracted negotiations.

The idea of fairness is important as this is what persuades. It moves discussion from what each should have to what is fair in terms of the process of deciding. The unwritten assumption behind it is that each person has an equal right to the item in dispute, although this is not always the case (a point that may be deliberately overlooked).

See also

Statistical Principles

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Site Menu

| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings |

Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes |

Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate |

 

 

Please help and share:

 

Quick links

Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

+ Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

About
Guest Articles
Blog!
Books
Changes
Contact
Guestbook
Quotes
Students
Webmasters

 

| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links |

© Changing Works 2002-
Massive Content — Maximum Speed