Negotiation & Mediation

Negotiation and Mediation

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Learning Objectives

Define negotiation and mediation

Identify strategies for effective negotiation in organizational and community contexts

Apply mediation and negotiation techniques to a public health program funding scenario

Practice communicating persuasively to support continued program funding

Negotiation & Mediation in Public Health

• Facilitate collaboration across diverse stakeholders
• Resolve conflicts that threaten program success
• Advocate for continued or renewed program support
• Essential for delivering the Ten Essential Public Health Services, especially:
• #4: Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships to improve health
• #5: Create, champion, and implement policies, plans, and laws that impact health
• #7: Assure an effective system that enables equitable access to the individual services and care needed to be healthy
• #10: Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health

Negotiation - Process by which two or more parties with differing interests discuss options to reach an agreementMediation - A facilitated negotiation involving a neutral third party to help reach consensus

Both emphasize relationship-building, communication, and mutual benefit

"Interest-Based" Approach

• Focus on interests, not positions
• Positions: What people say they want
• Interests: Why they want it
• Encourages create, win-win solutions
• Builds trust and sustainable partnerships

Ex: "We need this grant" vs. "We want to sustain access to green spaces for underserved residents."

5 Elements of Successful Negotiation

Relationship Management

Communication

Preparation

Acknowledge others' perspectives

Clear, assertive, respectful tone

Know your data, goals, and constraints

5 Elements of Successful Negotiation

Commitment

Creativity

Clarify next steps and accountability

Offer solutions that meet shared interests

Five Stages of Negotiation

Preparation

Set Ground Rules

Discussion & Clarification

Bargaining

Agreement

Adapted from Shell R. Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People

Mediation Skills

• Active listening: Clarify, reflect, and summarize others’ statements
• Neutral framing: Avoid blame; focus on the issue, not the person
• Reframing conflict: Turn “opposing” views into “shared goals”
• Facilitating compromise: Encourage equitable trade-offs

Let's think through a scenario:

Your local health department launched a mobile health clinic two years ago to provide preventive screenings and vaccination services in underserved rural areas. The clinic has been moderately successful: community uptake has increased for flu vaccines and diabetes screening, but operating costs have been much higher than expected.Now, a budget shortfall is forcing leadership to make tough choices. The health department director is considering shutting down the mobile clinic and reallocating funds toward expanding telehealth services, arguing that telehealth offers broader reach with lower cost. However, community partners and frontline staff argue that the mobile clinic serves populations without reliable internet access and that closing it would worsen health disparities. Your task: Negotiate a path forward.

Let's Debrief

• What negotiation strategies did you use to reach agreement?
• How did differing perspectives (e.g., financial vs. equity) shape the conversation?
• What communication or framing techniques were most effective?
• What would you do differently next time to strengthen your argument or build consensus?

Questions?