Negotiate Anything Conflict Negotiation: THE BEST TACTIC to Build Trust
Mar 11, 2026
Erin Easter, West Lafayette mayor focused on inclusive community design and university collaboration. Tony Roswarski, six-term Lafayette mayor and retired police captain with deep local government experience. They discuss finding common ground across divides. They cover active listening to build trust. They explore countering misinformation, repairing missteps, and leveraging relationships for collaboration.
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Begin By Framing Shared Goals
- Start tough conversations by reframing parties as teammates pursuing shared goals to reduce defensiveness and create conditions for persuasion.
- Kwame uses examples like Big Ten affiliation and salary talks framed as organizational value exchange to shift negative momentum.
Swap Assumptions For Humble Hypotheses
- Replace assumptions with hypotheses so you remain humble and let others correct you rather than acting on fixed beliefs.
- Kwame highlights halo and horn effects and passes the "vibe check" by finding one thing to admire to trigger reciprocity.
Listen First And Verify Understanding
- Listen more than you speak and prove understanding by paraphrasing until the other person confirms you got it right.
- Kwame recommends a 70-30 listening rule (aspirational) to make others feel heard and increase reciprocal listening.
