Never look at your counterpart as an enemy.

In any bargaining or tough negotiating session, the most vital principle to keep in mind is never to look at your counterpart as an enemy.

1. When someone makes an offer that upsets you, take a deep breath and say:
   “I don’t see how that would ever work.” Or, “I’m sorry that just doesn’t work for me.”

2. When you want to counteract unproductive statements from your counterpart it can be helpful to use “I feel ____ when you ____ because ____.”
   This can help hit the pause button and allow you to step out of a bad dynamic.