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Other Applications 357

shoot them down in flames. If you are in a weak position, consider whether you can hijack the
meeting with some diversionary tactic.

If you are in a desperate position, consider how you can avoid the meeting altogether, pos-
sibly by submitting a brief note setting out your arguments or defences and then disappearing
on an important business trip to Bulgaria. This is much better than getting your ass kicked
and if you are not present, and the others ignore your memo, you can claim the Nuremberg
defence and live to fight another day.

Relax time pressures

Many negotiators13 impose unrealistic deadlines, for example: ‘If this deal is not closed by
tomorrow, we will have to go elsewhere.’ You should weigh up whether the deadline is valid
and pin down the reasons. If the timescale is unrealistic and puts you at a serious disadvantage,
you must extend it or pull out.

Never act in panic.
When in doubt, pull out

Set the agenda

Try to make sure that there is a written agenda (ideally only listing the points you want to
cover) for every important meeting: even the most obdurate participant will find it difficult to
disagree with this, and you should also try to set a time limit. It is often a good idea to expand
the agenda and to state specifically what the objectives are and how decisions will be made.

Example: ‘The purpose of this meeting, which is scheduled to last for 30 minutes, is to decide
whether we are going to open a branch in Cheam. The decision will be taken on a vote of
the participants and proxy votes will be [if they are in your favour] won’t be [if they are not in
your favour] allowed.’

Also ensure that a chairman is appointed as well as someone who will take the minutes.
Ideally you should either be chairman or minute taker and, given the choice, the latter is usu-
ally more influential than the former.

He who takes the minutes, has control

If you are not in a position to submit an agenda before the meeting, prepare one anyway
and produce it immediately the meeting opens. If an agenda has been provided by someone
else, don’t just accept it. Read it carefully and think how you can swing it in your favour. Also
make sure that the topics to be discussed in Any Other Business are listed in full. This will
prevent you being ambushed, which is always a bad scene.

Always pay attention to Any Other Business

13 And conmen