Negotiation Tools
Point of Intersection
Enter two offers from each party. The tool shows where the lines would intersect if the pattern continued. You may also enter a desired settlement number to see how the parties' moves would need to adjust to reach that result.
How it works
Comparing your last move to the other side’s, you have enough information to ask a simple question: if both sides keep moving at this pace, where do the numbers meet?
Enter two offers from each party. The tool treats each side's pair of offers as a straight line — the plaintiff's coming down, the defendant's going up — and extends both lines forward to the round and dollar value where they would intersect. The chart shows the actual moves as solid lines and the extrapolation as dotted lines, with the intersection marked in green.
If the lines never meet — because the parties are moving apart, or moving in parallel — the tool says so instead of inventing a number. That answer is just as useful: it means the current pattern doesn't get anyone to a deal.
Once the tool projects an intersection, you can go a step further: enter a desired settlement number to see what it would take to land there instead. The tool works backward from your number and lays out three scenarios — both sides adjusting to meet at your figure in the same number of moves; the plaintiff's moves staying constant while the defendant adjusts; and the defendant's moves staying constant while the plaintiff adjusts. Select a scenario and the chart draws that path alongside the current projection, so you can see the pattern you have and the pattern you need side by side.
Worked example
The plaintiff demands $500,000, then $450,000 — moving $50,000. The defendant offers $50,000, then $75,000 — moving $25,000. If this pattern holds, the lines cross at $200,000.
Now suppose you want the case to land at $250,000 instead. To get there in the same five moves, the defendant would need increments of $35,000 instead of $25,000 — and the plaintiff's moves could actually ease to $40,000. Or hold one side steady: with the plaintiff constant at $50,000 per move, the defendant needs $43,750 and the parties meet a move sooner. With the defendant constant at $25,000, the plaintiff needs about $28,600 per move and the meeting comes two moves later.
When to use it
This tool is particularly helpful for deciding whether to continue a pattern: if the intersection is a number you can accept, continuing the trend may get you there without drama. If the intersection is unacceptable, you know the pattern has to change.
Frequently asked questions
What does the fractional round number mean?
An intersection at “round 3.25” means the lines cross a quarter of the way between rounds 3 and 4. In practice it means the parties would be effectively together by round 4 if the pattern held.
What if the trend points to a number I would not accept?
When the trend is unsustainable, we must find ways to communicate this to the other side. You can let the numbers speak for themselves by adjusting your move to fit a trend that lands in an acceptable range. Or you could simply tell the other side directly, “this trend is not going to result in settlement, so we need to change course.” Or better yet, do both! One caveat: even if the trend cannot hold forever, it might work for a while to narrow the gap. The desired settlement number field below the chart does this math for you.
How does the desired settlement number work?
Enter the number you would like the case to land on, and the tool works backward from it. It shows what each side's moves would have to become to meet at your number in the same number of moves as the current pattern — and two alternative scenarios where one side's moves stay exactly as they are and only the other side adjusts, which changes how many moves the meeting takes. Whichever scenario you select is drawn on the chart next to the current projection.
How is this different from the Negotiation Visualizer's projection?
This tool is a quick two-offers-per-side calculator. The Negotiation Visualizer tracks a whole negotiation round by round and bases its projection on each side's three most recent moves. Use this one for a fast read; use the Visualizer to chart the full negotiation.