Analysis Of The Negotiations Occurred In Breaking Bad

Negotiation becomes necessary when multiple parties are looking for different benefits or results. Both sides map out what they’re seeking to get, what they may have to give up, and what they won’t give up to get their desired result. Negotiations can be civil and go smoothly or be hostile and get nasty very quickly. It depends on what is said and how it is said. If you make yourself more aware about what to and what to say during a negotiation, you can make most if not all negotiations go in your favor.

I myself haven’t been through a negotiation extensive enough to write about, so I’m choosing to write about ones I’ve seen on television. I’m choosing to discuss the show Breaking Bad, and all the negotiations that occur during the show. Breaking Bad has many instances of negotiations, with the negotiations having to do with money, power, or even the safety and lives of people. Most of the negotiations are initiated by the protagonist Walter White because he finds himself in different problems and situations while trying to build his drug empire. Throughout most of the show’s run he is also trying to keep his business affairs hidden from his family and the police.

The earliest form of negotiation in the show comes when Walter negotiates with a former student of his named Jesse. He negotiates with Jesse about getting Jesse to teach him how to get into the meth business, so he can make good money. At first, Jesse is resistant to the idea, but then Walter uses sympathy to get what he desires. He also tries to build a rapport with Jesse so that Jesse will be more willing to do what he wants and so he has more control of the situation. Walter also had to negotiate the process of negotiation, as he is the one who had to set out to find Jesse and get the negotiation process started.

Walter also had to use active listening, as he had to be able to identify and understand what exactly Jesse was seeking in exchange for being brought into the business. Using active listening also allowed Walter to try and identify with Jesse, so he would know what to say to reach Jesse and get him on his side. He also made sure to ask good questions, such as asking if Jesse was okay with being a nobody and asking if he had any desire to make more money than ever before. Walter also had to present multiple equivalent offers simultaneously, in the sense he had to make several offers on how they would split the earnings, such as 50/50, 60/40, etc. Other offers made included who would sell the product and how much they would get for that work.

After a while, Walter and Jesse realized they needed a partner, somebody with an already established trade and organization so they can make more money. The problem with this is that the man they met was a psychopath drug lord named Tuco. So, using a negotiation technique, Walter makes sure to be fully prepared for the negotiations with Tuco. He had to be prepared to use violence, but a key in any negotiation is to be prepared for any circumstance. Sometimes in negotiation you must make the other side think that your ideas were actually theirs, as long as you get to your objective. Walter had to temporarily abandon his ego things wouldn’t further escalate and he and Tuco could get on the same page.

In negotiation, timing is also important. There are times to approach someone for a negotiation and there are times to wait before you try to negotiate something. But, if you wait too long you may miss the best opportunity for the opportunity to negotiate. Walter chose to negotiate with Tuco before Tuco realized how much control he had over the situation, because if he realized how in control he was Walter wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on during a negotiation. This negotiation was an example of a negotiation that composed of money, power, and lives involved.

Another quality of negotiation is asking for what you want, because in plain terms if you don’t ask for something you’re probably not going to get it. You have to be firm on what you want, and if you can make a convincing argument on why you should get it, you can aim for whatever you want. Walter did this with Tuco by asking for more money, because he believed his work and his product was worth it. He was granted his wish, but Tuco negotiated for more product and in a quicker deadline than before. This was an example of give and take, as Walter got more money but his time to get it done was cut.

Walter also had to resort to compromising with his wife, after she found out about the business and decided she wanted in. Compromise is key in negotiation, because if you don’t compromise you might not get anywhere and the point of negotiation is to reach some kind of conclusion. Their compromise had to do with her involvement in the business, and the agreement that they would stay separated so it would be harder to track her involvement. Walter didn’t want her to get involved, but he knew if he didn’t cut her in she might turn him in and he couldn’t afford that. That notion alone is his weakness, as anyone who knows about what he does can hold it over his head in a negotiation to get what they want.

In negotiation you have to come up with best and worst-case scenarios. Best case scenarios are that you get everything you want without giving anything up, while worst-case scenarios are giving up everything and not getting anything, you asked for. Realistically there will be few or no circumstances where you will get everything you want without giving anything up. You must be prepared to devise a way to get something out of the deal, but also plan for getting as much as possible by any means necessary. Walter usually had to negotiate giving up money in exchange for a service or product, as money is something a lot of people will negotiate about.

Another aspect of negotiation is to offer commitments, and to also expect the other side to hold up their ends of the bargain. If you’re able to do what you say you’re going to do, people will be more likely to trust you. On the other side, you have to be able to say no to any deals where the other side seems unable to follow through on what they promise. In Breaking Bad, a theme of the negotiations was if you don’t meet your end of the deal, something bad will happen, whether it be some sort of violence or even someone being killed. There were also instances where different characters refused to do business with each other, as they saw the other party as unreliable or unable to follow through with their part of an agreement.

Also, in negotiations, you have to learn to not make the other party’s problems your problems. You can listen to their problems, but you don’t bring them onto yourself. Instead, try to let them know other avenues they can take to fix their problems without your involvement. Walter does this by making it clear to anyone who works for him that he and his family are his only priorities, and that any issues you encounter as his employee are for you to deal with. He would offer ideas or solutions, but he would rarely dirty his own hands as he didn’t want to make the other party’s problems his problems.

Emotional intelligence is also important in a negotiation, as it can help you seem to be a more relatable person. It also helps you to manage your emotions and keeps your emotions from distracting you during negotiations. Walter’s emotional intelligence at the beginning is very high, as he’s able to solve problems effectively without allowing his emotions to cloud his judgment. While the other party is emotional and prone to outbursts, Walter remains calm and cool which allows him to win his negotiations. The problem with his character development is that over time his emotional intelligence begins to deteriorate, and it’s easy to see during later negotiations because they don’t go as smoothly as earlier ones.

The last quality of negotiations that I want to cover is to not focus on “winning” the negotiation. You should absolutely have goals and look to come out ahead, but you must be wary of getting tunnel vision when it comes to winning. If you don’t, all you’ll be thinking about is how you can beat your opponent and there won’t be any compromise or collaboration. Walter doesn’t focus on winning in the beginning, but towards the end he becomes consumed by always winning and coming on top. This is a deadly mindset to have, as eventually everyone must lose, and you have to be prepared to give things up for that loss, because if you aren’t prepared you could take a heavy loss or lose everything.