Using 2-Variable Negotiation Cards in Practice
It's 2026 and at The GOLD Negotiation Club this week, we focused on short, structured negotiations designed to create repeated practice opportunities within a shared group setting.
Cards Used: 2-Variables
The group worked with 2-Variable Negotiation Cards, combining one commercial variable with a second, non-price variable. In addition, each participant was assigned a single tactic to practise deliberately during the negotiation.
How The Negotiation Cards Were Used
Participants were split into small groups and roles were allocated before each round. One person negotiated, while others observed with the sole task of watching behaviour rather than outcome. Each negotiation ran for approximately five minutes, followed immediately by feedback. The same card structure was reused across multiple rounds, allowing participants to repeat the exercise with different counterparts while keeping the variables constant. Tactics were not shared with the opposing party in advance, which meant observers were required to infer what might be in use based on what they saw and heard.
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One Practice Observation
As the rounds progressed, it became noticeable that the presence of a second variable consistently shifted the flow of the conversation away from price alone, even when neither party explicitly named it. Participants often returned to price instinctively, yet their pacing, pauses, and reactions suggested they were responding to something else they had noticed but not fully articulated. Observers were able to identify moments where a tactic appeared to influence tempo and emotional tone rather than numerical movement. These moments became more visible through repetition, particularly when different negotiators worked from the same card constraints.
Quiet Close
Across the session, the structure of the cards and the consistency of the group created a setting where negotiation behaviours could be noticed, reflected on, and gradually shaped through regular practice alongside others.
About the Author Philip Brown
Phil Brown is the founder of The Negotiation Club, a training organisation built on the belief that negotiation is a skill developed through practice, not theory. With 30 years of procurement and commercial experience, Phil now helps professionals worldwide build confidence and fluency through structured, repeatable negotiation practice. Experience Phils unique negotiation practice at a FREE NEGOTIATION TASTER ....
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