$2 Negotiation | Leadership Heights

LEADERSHIP TRAILS

$2 Negotiation

Academics

All over your laboratory you see lab assistants handing out two $1 bills to the participants. “What is going on?!?” you shout, worried that all your funding is headed out the door. “We’re having a $2 negotiation” one of your lab assistants says. Just as they give you the details, arguments erupt from all over the room. It looks like the negotiation has begun!

Goal

Get as much of the $2 as possible, while fulfilling your secret goal.

Goal

Get as much of the $2 as possible, while fulfilling your secret goal.

Purpose

Practice skills of negotiation and communication.

Materials

Set of “Secret Instructions” cards

Setup

Pair up scouts into partners and distribute a “Secret Instruction” card to each scout. Each partner should keep their card to themselves.

Purpose

Practice skills of negotiation and communication.

Materials

Set of “Secret Instructions” cards

Setup

Pair up scouts into partners and distribute a “Secret Instruction” card to each scout. Each partner should keep their card to themselves.

Running the game

Your goal is to negotiate for your share of $2, maximizing your games and making sure to achieve your secret instruction.

Round 1
- Each partner should have a card labeled “Secret Instructions – Round 1” and should read it carefully to understand their goal.
- When everyone is ready, commence a negotiation period of 3 minutes. Scouts can’t propose side deals or creative solutions, they just need to negotiate for how much of the $2 they will receive.
- At the end of round 1, students should make note of how much they have received and return their “Secret Instructions – Round 1” card. They may talk to their partner about what their instruction was after the round is complete.
Round 2
- Each partner should receive a card labeled “Secret Instructions – Round 2” and should read it carefully to understand their instructions.
- When everyone is ready, commence a negotiation period of 3 minutes. Scouts can’t propose side deals or creative solutions, they just need to negotiate for how much of the $2 they will receive.
- At the end of round 2, students should make note of how much they have received and return their “Secret Instructions – Round 2” card.

Debrief

The following debrief questions are meant to give you an opportunity to discuss with your patrol mates and reflect on the game. You can have one leader ask the discussion questions or you could take turns asking the questions, making sure everyone’s voice is heard.

Because each group of partners had different goals, they may have had significantly different experiences of the game. As a group, reflect on the following questions.

During Round 1, did you enjoy the negotiation or not? What caused you to enjoy it or not?
During Round 2, what was your impression of your partners negotiation style? Would you want to negotiate with them again?
If you had known your partner's secret instructions, would you have acted differently? Why or why not?
What “secret instructions” do we have in everyday life when we are trying to convince someone of something? How might you use the skills from this game in a real-life scenario?