Chapter 8: Achieving Mediation Breakthroughs with BATNA
You don’t need to force a breakthrough. You need to show people what already exists and what they’ve been too stuck, too angry, or too afraid to see. That’s where BATNA steps in. The Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement is not a theory. It is a reality check. It gives people a place to stand. And when they have solid ground, they can look around and see options they missed when all they felt was pressure.
You’re not there to sell them a deal. You’re there to help them figure out what happens if no deal is made. What happens if they walk. That is their BATNA. That is your tool. Most people never pause long enough to ask that question. They focus so hard on the conflict in front of them that they forget they have choices. BATNA brings those choices into view.
When you help someone see their BATNA clearly, you change the game. You replace fear with clarity. You replace panic with calm. People stop clinging to positions because they understand they are not trapped. They can walk if they need to. That realization opens the door to real negotiation. Not a scramble to win. A conversation about what actually matters.
This isn’t about telling people what to do. It’s about asking the right questions. What would you do if this conversation ended right now? What else have you thought about? Who could you call? What path could you take next? These questions are not abstract. They bring options to life. They return control to the person who felt like they had none.
When people own their alternatives, they stop negotiating from fear. They negotiate from strength. That doesn’t mean they walk away. It means they stay for the right reasons. Because they’ve looked at their options and they’ve decided this conversation is still worth having.
That’s where the real shift happens. Not through pressure. Through presence. You bring people back to what’s real. And you help them move forward from there.
You don’t announce someone’s BATNA to the other side. You don’t use it like a weapon. You use it like a light. Quiet. Clear. Grounded. You guide each party to find their own. Then you watch what happens when they do.
BATNA also moves. It changes as the conversation unfolds. New information surfaces. Perspectives shift. What seemed impossible becomes doable. That’s why you revisit BATNA as you go. Not once. Not in passing. Actively. You check in. You test assumptions. You update the map.
When you do that well, mediation stops being about who caves first. It becomes about what makes sense. What works. What’s real.
You’re not dragging anyone to the finish line. You’re helping them walk toward it on their own terms.
That’s how people leave the room with clarity. That’s how resolution sticks.
The next step is to go deeper. Not just into positions. Into what each party truly values. That’s where we go next. Value creation and value capture. The real art of effective mediation. Let’s get to it.
Mitch Jackson | links