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will take longer. Therefore Fuller (1992:129) suggests that there should be an
agreement beforehand on the number of people to participate in the negotiation.
However, you should try to match the expertise ofyour opponents, whether technical or
otherwise, so that you do not find yourself unable even to notice claims that cannot be
verified.
When negotiating away from home, you should also bear in mind that the
negotiation process may take unexpected turns and you find you have to consult
someone away at home. It is important to ensure that the resource person can be
contacted when needed, otherwise you may be compelled to continue the process
without that valuable input, or being compelled to consult someone else.
Fuller (1992) also recommends that all the negotiation papers should be brought
along as well as equipment like laptops or faxes (unless the negotiation takes place in
an environment with all these facilities). When you have all that you need, you won't
be taken by surprise by anything that crops up.
Usually the size ofthe team is agreed upon before the negotiation starts and this
helps to know who will be present in the negotiation team. However, the size of the
venue and the distance to be travelled for the negotiation will also have an influence on
the size of the team. During negotiations the size of the team may change because of
new factors coming in which need expert advice. That is why experts should be
involved during the planning stage and be on-call when needed.
For the CODESA negotiations it was decided, after lengthy discussions, which
were sometimes negative, that nineteen governmental and political organisations for the
transitional government and a representative parliament should participate. Five
working groups of thirty-eight delegates and thirty advisers were formed for this
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