Positions Are Demands; Interests Are Data
Separate positions from interests and use interests to generate options.
Positions narrow the table; interests widen it. A position is a proposed answer. An interest is the need, risk, value, or constraint that makes the answer important. In conflict, people defend positions because positions feel concrete and safe. But if two positions clash, the conversation becomes a contest of pressure. The mechanism Interest questions turn the other person's demand into data. Ask what risk they are managing, what success must look like, what constraint is non-negotiable, and what flexibility exists around timing, scope, or process. You are not agreeing with the position; you are learning what the position is trying…
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