Removing Deadlock

It is not uncommon in negotiations for an impasse to arise - where the two sides just cannot see eye to eye and progress is not being made. The key here is to remain calm and patient. Try to step back from the heat of the talks and understand what has lead to the current situation.

Suggest taking a break, often it is tension and fatigue that lie behind many deadlock situations. Sometimes a few hours may be sufficient for you to recharge you batteries and see a new angle with which to address the impasse. The natural assumption is that the other party is at fault and often the best way to analyze the situation is to put yourself in their position.

It may be useful for the senior negotiators to have a round of discussions together, with a view to removing the deadlock in the absence of other team members who have developed a negative mind-set. Alternatively a group brainstorming session may reveal an effective route around the block.

If the deadlock is proving to be immovable then it may be worth raising issues that are on a higher plane than the existing talks themselves. For example, the importance of your long term relationship, the advantages of reaching an agreement and the dangers of not doing so, as well as the fact that a negotiated settlement is in both of your interests whilst conflict is not. Factors such as these raised and discussed diplomatically may help by focusing attention on the bigger picture.