Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

In contrast to positional bargaining, “interest-based negotiation” proceeds
on the assumption that negotiators often overlook opportunities for mutual gains,
thereby failing to achieve the best outcome for themselves. 686 This is particularly
true in negotiations that involve multiple issues, both quantitative and qualitative
issues (e.g., desire for respect), and an interest in establishing a good working
relationship.
Negotiation theory (e.g., Fisher, Ury, and Patton, 1991; Walton and McKersie,
1965) offers several strategies for expanding the pie.
Look beneath Positions for Interests
Positions are rigid solutions to the problems at hand (e.g., the United States
should immediately withdraw all of its troops from Iraq). Interests are why a party
wants those things (e.g., to prevent U.S. soldiers from being killed, to save money,
to focus on other international threats).
In a negotiation, understanding the other side’s interests enhances the power
of a negotiator to persuade the other side. When one understands what the other
side cares about, one can develop options that address these interests in ways that
do not conflict with one’s own interests. What is stopping them from cooperating
What do they care about What do they want Why The author’s experience
in consulting for high-level governmental negotiators suggests that people often
fail to consider the other side’s interests sufficiently, thus reducing their power to
influence their counterparts.
At first glance, an EI context would appear to be a purely positional situation.
One side wants to gain information; the other does not want to disclose it. But
each side has a more complex set of interests defining why each cares about
the information. Interests for a source might include religious beliefs, a desire
not to lose face within an organization, or fear of being ostracized by family,
community, and peers. Interests for an educer might include national security,
reputation in the local community, locating additional sources, relationships with
governments, and precedent. Distinguishing between positions and interests may
reveal potential sources of value creation.
Invent Options for Mutual Gain
Once parties understand each other’s interests, they can invent options for
mutual gain. Even where a value-creating option will not directly benefit our own
interests, it increases the likelihood that the other side will accept our proposal.
Consider the recent conflict between Peru and Ecuador. The two countries
disagreed over boundary issues and engaged in what the U.S. State Department
called the “oldest armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere”: each country
686
Seven elements of negotiation comprise the essence of both hard bargaining and interest-based
negotiation. These seven elements also form the basis of several of our negotiation courses at the
Harvard Negotiation Project. The “Seven Elements” are a manageable number of robust concepts that
one can use to prepare, conduct, and evaluate a negotiation. See the appendix for a description of each
element and its contours in both hard bargaining and interest-based negotiation.
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