What Are the Best Negotiation Strategies and Tactics?

Monday, 17 August 2026 

The best negotiation strategies (and tactics) are the ones that work together: a clear strategy chosen before you sit down, and tactics that serve it at the table. The strongest approach is principled negotiation, which focuses on interests rather than positions, backed by thorough preparation, honest communication and a known walk away point. This article works through the strategies first, then the preparation that makes them possible, then the ethical tactics that bring them to life.

Do you need a strategy or just good tactics?

You need both, but in the right order. A tactic is a move you make “at the table”, while a strategy is the approach you decide on before you get there. Tactics used without a strategy are just improvisation, and clever moves that are not serving a plan tend to win a point while losing the deal or the relationship. The practical rule is simple: choose your strategy first, then pick only ethical tactics that serve it. That is why the strongest place to start is with the strategies themselves. 

What are the main negotiation strategies?

Most negotiation comes down to how much you value the outcome against how much you value the relationship, and that balance produces four core strategies: competing, when you push hard for your own result, accommodating, when you concede to protect the relationship, avoiding, when you sidestep the negotiation altogether, and collaborating, when you work to satisfy both sides. Compromising, meeting in the middle, is often listed as a fifth. Underneath these sit two broad approaches. 

Distributive bargaining treats the value on the table as a fixed pie to be divided, a win lose contest over price. Integrative bargaining tries to expand the pie by trading across issues so both sides gain. The most respected version of the integrative approach is principled negotiation, developed at the Harvard Program on Negotiation, which urges negotiators to separate the people from the problem, focus on interests rather than positions, invent options for mutual gain and judge outcomes against objective criteria. Collaboration sounds obviously right, but it only works if you have prepared well enough to pursue it, which is where most negotiations are won or lost.

How much does preparation really matter?

Preparation is the real source of power in a negotiation, far more than any clever line at the table. The single most important thing to prepare is your BATNA, your best alternative to a negotiated agreement, which the Harvard Program on Negotiation describes as the true measure against which to judge any deal, because a strong alternative lets you walk away and therefore negotiate with confidence. Alongside it, work out the likely zone of agreement, the overlap between what you will accept and what the other side will, and the interests that sit beneath each side’s stated position. The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) puts preparation first for exactly this reason, noting that without research, clear objectives, an understanding of your concessions and a BATNA, a negotiation is unlikely to reach its best outcome. Preparation is what turns a tactic from a gamble into a considered move, which is what the tactics below assume.

Which tactics actually work at the table?

With a strategy and preparation in place, a handful of ethically employed tactics reliably earn their keep. Anchoring, making a considered first offer, sets the reference point the rest of the discussion moves around, provided it is grounded in evidence rather than bluff. Active listening does more work than talking, which is why experienced negotiators follow a rough 70 30 rule, listening about seventy per cent of the time and speaking thirty, since the other side’s priorities surface only when you let them. 

Trading concessions rather than giving them away keeps value on the table, so concede on what matters little to you in return for something that matters more. 

Framing claims against objective criteria, such as market rates or independent benchmarks, moves the conversation off opinion and onto fair standards. The Australian Government’s business.gov.au makes the same point in plainer terms, that preparation and clear communication are what let you negotiate an outcome that works. These moves are sometimes summed up as the five Cs of negotiation, commonly listed as credibility, clarity, creativity, commitment and collaboration, a useful checklist rather than a formula. Used well, ethical tactics like these build agreements that hold, and used badly, some tactics do the opposite.

Which tactics should you be wary of?

Some tactics win the moment and lose everything after it. Hardball moves and unethical tactics such as extreme demands, false deadlines, good cop bad cop routines and manufactured anger can extract a concession, but they erode the trust that future dealings depend on, and a counterpart who feels tricked will claim it back later. The deeper problem is that manipulation treats a negotiation as a single transaction when most business relationships are repeated dealings. The better response when these unethical tactics are used on you is not to escalate but to name the behaviour calmly, slow the pace and return the conversation to interests and objective standards, the ground principled negotiation is built on. CIPS makes the point that the strongest procurement outcomes come from meticulous preparation and a collaborative style that protects the relationship even when you hold the leverage. Knowing which tactics to avoid is as much a skill as knowing which to use, and both improve with deliberate practice.

Building negotiation skill

Negotiation is a skill built through structured learning and practice, not a talent some people are simply born with. AcademyGlobal (AG) runs a Negotiation Masterclass that develops both sides of the craft, the strategy you set before the room and the tactics you use inside it, with practical exercises drawn from real commercial and procurement settings. Because so much of negotiation rests on preparation and the numbers behind a deal, it complements AG’s Analysing Financial Statements and Corporate Credit and Risk Analysis courses, while professionals seeking broader commercial and leadership grounding can look to AG’s MBA Essentials program. The wider range of AG’s short courses spans procurement, finance, risk and leadership.

If negotiation is part of your role, take a look at AG’s Negotiation Masterclass and choose a session that suits you. It is the difference between improvising at the table and walking in with a plan.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the most effective negotiation tactic?

There is no single silver bullet, but the most reliable is thorough preparation paired with active listening. Understanding your BATNA and the other side’s interests before you speak does more to shape the outcome than any move at the table. Make sure your application of tactics is ethical.

What are the 5 C’s of negotiation?

The 5 C’s are a commonly used checklist rather than a formal model, usually listed as credibility, clarity, creativity, commitment and collaboration. They remind negotiators to build trust with facts, communicate clearly, look for creative options, honour commitments and work with the other side.

What are the 5 negotiation strategies?

The four core strategies are competing, compromising, collaborating, accommodating and avoiding, drawn from how much you value the outcome against the relationship. The best negotiators match the strategy to the situation.

What is the 70 30 rule in negotiation?

The 70 30 rule is a guide to listen about seventy per cent of the time and speak about thirty. Listening more surfaces the other side’s priorities and builds trust, which usually leads to a better and fairer agreement.

References

Australian Government. Negotiate a Contract. business.gov.au.

Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. Negotiation and Negotiation Planning.

Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. Principled Negotiation.

Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School. What Is BATNA? How to Find Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement.

Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School. Principled Negotiation: Focus on Interests to Create Value.