The goal of this chapter was to illustrate hoe one might go about dealing with the emotional complications of a real-life negotiation between stakeholders who hold a great amount of power. I focused on my consultation for government officials stuggling to reduce the relational tensions inherent to a multi- party governing coalition.
I introduced the Core Concerns Framework as a practical approach to understand and address the emotional dimension of negotiation, and I discussed ways in which the officials applied this framework to their relational challenges. These efforts equipped the officials with a set of tools to better collaborate within a sea of contentious interests toward a brighter, shared future.