Before a serious negotiation, what deep plan does an expert make to understand their own best backup options and guess what the other person's best backup options are?

Before a serious negotiation, an expert makes a deep plan centered on understanding their own Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) and meticulously estimating the other party’s BATNA. Their own BATNA is the most advantageous course of action they can take if an agreement cannot be reached in the current negotiation, defining their walk-away point or minimum acceptable outcome. To understand their own BATNA, the expert first brainstorms every possible alternative they have if the negotiation fails. For example, if negotiating a job offer, alternatives could include pursuing other job applications, staying in their current role, or starting a business. Next, they evaluate each alternative based on its value, feasibility, and potential consequences, considering factors like financial impact, time commitment, and risk. From these evaluated options, they select the single most attractive and reali....