The Psychology of Negotiation: How to Find Elegant Trades

The Psychology of Negotiation: How to Find Elegant Trades

Instructor: Daylian Cain

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5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

13 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

13 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Module 1: The story that all recent Yale MBAs know by heart: the story of the tree. Sell your handcrafted bench to an AI buyer bot for top dollar.
Module 2: Grow the pie and get your fair share, even against "more powerful" opponents. Negotiate a higher salary vs. "Big Ed" the AI recruiter bot.
Module 3: How can salespeople protect margins and win on price: the story of the painter. Sharpen concession patterns vs. AI contractor bot.
Module 4: Handle difficult/secretive opponents. Resurrect extra value even after the deal is signed. Buy a business from the rich/lazy "Sweeny" bot.

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There are 5 modules in this course

The first learner to complete the course ranked it in his personal top 3 out of 250+ Coursera courses he had taken over 13 years, calling it “Amazing.” Prof. Cain has since made it even stronger...

In The Psychology of Negotiation: How to Find Elegant Trades, Yale School of Management’s award-winning faculty member Dr. Daylian Cain reveals the hidden psychology behind masterful deals. You’ll learn field-tested tools—MESOs, Post-Settlement Settlements, Menus, Strategic Questions, and Contingent Contracts—while exploring Yale’s iconic “Story of the Tree” and “Theory of the Pie.” No pressure tactics or tricks. Just the real mindset and instincts of highly effective negotiators. Want powerful sales and negotiation tools delivered through easy-to-digest stories in under 10 hours? Take this course.

Build elegant trades that turn ordinary deals into true value-propositions—whether you’re closing a sale, landing a job offer, or negotiating with your toughest opponents: friends and family too.

What's included

16 videos10 readings1 assignment

16 videosTotal 67 minutes

Prof. Cain's Welcome4 minutes
Your First Lesson: The Story of the Tree10 minutes
Watch Out for Fake Trees4 minutes
Three Types of Issues5 minutes
Trees in the Desert2 minutes
Four Things to Figure Out7 minutes
How Transparent Should You Be? 5 minutes
Tool #1: Multiple Equivalent (Simultaneous) Offers2 minutes
BATNA2 minutes
ZOPA3 minutes
Target Price3 minutes
Who Should Go First?4 minutes
Who Should Go First: Job Offers1 minute
Bench-Seller Debrief3 minutes
Bench-Case Trees?4 minutes
The Actual Bench10 minutes

10 readingsTotal 54 minutes

Yale's Welcome and Intro to the Cases 2 minutes
Bench Case (Seller) Role Sheet 5 minutes
Enter Your “Bench Results” (to See How Others Did)3 minutes
Notes from "Three Types of Issues"5 minutes
(Notes on) Tool #1: MESOs10 minutes
Tool #2: Your Ears5 minutes
Redo the Bench-Case?2 minutes
Bench Wrap-Up and Debrief10 minutes
Review Notes from Module 12 minutes
Optional: Send feedback to Prof. Cain10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Elegant Trades10 minutes

Grow the pie instead of fighting over scraps. Design smart contingent contracts that turn uncertainty into bigger wins for both sides.

What's included

13 videos8 readings1 assignment

13 videosTotal 87 minutes

Who is Barry and What is Apizza?5 minutes
The Importance of a (Modern) Principled Argument5 minutes
A Zero Sum Game? Creating Value Together4 minutes
Pie Example: Barry’s Mom’s House8 minutes
Concept Review: What is the (Pepe's) Pie? 5 minutes
Expand the (Bar) Pie Before You Slice It2 minutes
Splitting the Difference vs. Splitting the (Sally's) Pie2 minutes
The Pie as a (Yarmouth?) Beacon3 minutes
Tool #3: Contingent Contracts6 minutes
BoomShrooms Reaction Intro (Don't Watch Until Finished Case)6 minutes
BoomShrooms Reaction (Deal #1, part 1)23 minutes
BoomShrooms Reaction (Deal #1, part 2)13 minutes
BoomShrooms: Mike and Jesse Review Themselves6 minutes

8 readingsTotal 62 minutes

Hotshot Candidate: Role Sheet10 minutes
Hot Shot Debriefing 5 minutes
Heads Up: If You Want to Negotiate the Next “BoomShrooms” Case with a Buddy5 minutes
(Notes on) Tool #3: Contingent Contracts/Bets5 minutes
BoomShrooms Case (Jesse + Mike) Role Sheets20 minutes
Tool #4: Planning Documents10 minutes
Don’t Spill the Pie5 minutes
Review Notes from Module 22 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Understand the Pie10 minutes

When the pie can’t be expanded, claim your fair share. Sharpen your walk-away power so you protect your bottom line.

What's included

11 videos4 readings1 assignment

11 videosTotal 44 minutes

Win-Lose Issues: Introduction2 minutes
Win-Lose Issues: Keys to a Happy Buyer2 minutes
Win-Lose Issues: Where to Start4 minutes
Going for Gold: Goal Setting8 minutes
Going for Gold: A Note on Keeping Up with the Joneses1 minute
Pattern Interrupt -- Before We Debrief the Case: “Patterns of Concessions”3 minutes
The Story of the Painter: Introduction1 minute
The Story of the Painter: Expanding the Scope5 minutes
The Story of the Painter: Levels of Service10 minutes
Painter Takeaways: Tool #6 – Menus3 minutes
Painter Takeaways: The Victory Speech6 minutes

4 readingsTotal 14 minutes

Tree Removal Case (Homeowner) Role Sheet5 minutes
Tree Removal Debrief5 minutes
Tool #5: The Walk-Away2 minutes
Review Notes from Module 32 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Thinking Beyond Price10 minutes

Handle adversarial negotiators without getting pushed around. Then use Post-Settlement Settlements to quietly resurrect extra value after the deal is already inked.

What's included

8 videos6 readings1 assignment

8 videosTotal 54 minutes

Secretive Opponents: Introduction1 minute
Secretive Opponents: Tool # 7 – Others Who Know4 minutes
Secretive Opponents: Similar Others – Gym Membership3 minutes
Secretive Opponents: Give an Example6 minutes
Tips for Digging7 minutes
Test for Validity: The Story of the Suit9 minutes
Resurrecting the Deal5 minutes
BOOMSROOMS PSS (Reaction Video)19 minutes

6 readingsTotal 37 minutes

When You Get Resistance to Digging...10 minutes
Sweeny's Soirées (Buyer) Role Sheet5 minutes
Sweeny's Debrief5 minutes
How to Reraise a Dead Deal5 minutes
Tool #8: PSS (Post-Settlement Settlements)10 minutes
Review Notes for Mod 42 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Figuring Them Out10 minutes

What's included

1 video

Instructor

Daylian Cain

Yale University

1 Course9,330 learners

Offered by

Yale University

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Reviewed on May 24, 2026

The course is interesting and easy to understand. Appreciate the examples and straightforward explanations.

Reviewed on May 31, 2026

Excellent course. I do daily negotiations with suppliers and internal stakeholders and found this course extremely helpful and very engaging.

Reviewed on Jun 9, 2026

An excellent course with key concepts of initiating, evolving and finishing any negotiations.

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