Definition
The Necessary vs. Advisable Framework is a method for prioritizing demands and concessions in a complex negotiation. It involves strictly separating deal-breakers (non-negotiable requirements) from bargaining chips (highly desirable but tradeable points), allowing the negotiator to maintain a clear path to success without becoming bogged down in secondary details.
Why It Matters
If you can’t distinguish between what you ‘must’ have and what you ‘would like’ to have, you will either over-concede or walk away from a good deal. This framework prevents emotional ‘hijacking’ in negotiations and ensures that the core objectives are always met.
Core Concepts
- Necessary Points: The irreducible core of the objective. For Franklin in 1782, these were full independence, troop removal, secure boundaries, and fishing rights.
- Advisable Points: High-value concessions that are used to test the opponent’s limits or to be “traded away” to secure the necessary points. Examples included reparations, ceding Canada, and a free trade agreement.
- The “Anchor” Tactic: Presenting the “advisable” points first to anchor the negotiation at a high level of demand, making the “necessary” points seem like a moderate compromise.
- Clarity of Vision: The ability to “drop” the advisable points the moment the necessary ones are secured, preventing the “perfect from being the enemy of the good.”