batna-zopalisted

# BATNA & ZOPA ## Overview **BATNA** (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) is the value of your best fallback if no deal happens — the floor below which you walk away. A negotiator without a clear BATNA negotiates from fear; with one, from position. **ZOPA** (Zone of Possible Agreement) is the overlap between what each side will accept. If it exists, a deal is possible; if not, the question is structural change — not harder negotiating. Composes with [`anchoring`](../anchoring/SKILL.md), [`signaling-games`](../signaling-games/SKILL.md), [`repeated-games-reputation`](../repeated-games-reputation/SKILL.md), and [`prisoners-dilemma`](../prisoners-dilemma/SKILL.md). ## When to Use - Any non-trivial negotiation: term sheets, salary, partnership, M&A, vendor contracts, customer pricing - You feel pressure to take a deal that "feels bad" — usually a sign your BATNA is weak or not modeled - Assess whether a deal *can* happen before investing time in tactics - Raising in the 2024–2026 AI market (term sheets, SAFEs) or committing to a GPU-cloud / compute contract, where FOMO and "capacity is scarce" pressure obscure your real alternative **Not when:** purely emotional/non-transactional disputes; cultures where direct BATNA discussion is taboo. ## Coaching Novices (Adaptive Front Door) - **Engine mode:** user has a concrete deal → run The Process directly. - **Coach mode:** user is unfamiliar → guide step by step. In Coach mode, respond one step at a time. Each [WAIT] i