You may not realize it, but Thanksgiving is one of the great times of year to negotiate. Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, and great food — and maybe a few arguments. Most of us go through several different types of negotiation while eating Thanksgiving dinner. (How much turkey should you take? Should you eat this yucky thing? When can you stop talking about football?) So, as you sit at the table with your loved ones, why not use the same tactics you use in your everyday life to negotiate over the turkey?
Now, we’re not saying you should break out your negotiation toolkit and run through an Alterity ADR-style breakdown of your grandmother’s baking techniques. But there are some valuable lessons that can help you get what you want — or at least improve your odds:
The Thanksgiving table is a microcosm of all the types of negotiation that people can go through. We hope that this has helped you better understand the different types of bargaining going on around you at your holiday table—and how to rise to the challenge.
Thanksgiving can be stressful, making it all the more vital to remain level-headed and reasonable. Think things over carefully before making a move or responding to a proposal, and make sure to keep a few things in mind while doing so: Anything worth fighting over is not worth losing someone over, and at your Thanksgiving Dinner Table, everything is negotiable.
