Cop21
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title: COP21 description: The negotiation that started two years before the meeting.
COP21
The negotiation started two years before the negotiation.
THE STORY
The French side spent roughly two years preparing COP21.
Delegates and ambassadors travelled to different countries.
They met people.
They built relationships.
They convinced ministers to put certain points on the agenda.
Then, during the actual negotiations, a mistake happened.
A typo or error could potentially have blocked the negotiations.
But the people involved already knew each other.
There was trust.
There was goodwill.
The problem could be solved.
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THE REAL LESSON
When I think about negotiation, I naturally think about the moment when everyone sits around the table.
COP21 shows the opposite.
The table is only the visible part.
The real preparation had already happened through:
relationships → trust → influence
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THE CONCEPT
Relationship before negotiation
Preparation isn’t just:
“What arguments will I use?”
It is also:
“Who will I negotiate with?”
“Who trusts me?”
“Who can influence the decision?”
“What relationship already exists?”
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CONNECTED IDEAS
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REMEMBER
Two years before the table.
The earlier I start preparing the relationship, the more options I may have when something goes wrong.
