The negotiations you have been involved with in the past may have followed a pattern. Organizations tend to have accepted norms of negotiating, not just who is authorized to negotiate with whom over what, but the way people go about it. Fledgling negotiators learn from more experienced negotiators - by observation or hearsay. The negotiations we hear about through the media also appear to have a pattern - one which often involves the breakdown of those negotiations at some point.
Therefore, many people, observing the behaviour of other more experienced negotiators, see the patterns, learn from them and use those patterns, which eventually become their own habitual behaviours. In order to learn to be a better, faster-reacting negotiator, you may need to unlearn some of the patterns and habits you have acquired in life so far. Even if you believe that you are a complete novice at negotiation, don't fool yourself. Remember the day-to-day stuff? You will have absorbed some patterns.
Cultural norms in negotiating
Some cultures have different expectations for negotiators to others. The most obvious example of this is the difference between buying goods in a country where bargaining is part of the fun of shopping, and a country where the marked price is the one you are expected to pay.
This is also the case in different organisations. In one organisation, managers may be expected to negotiate with no quarter given or expected. In another, a 'gentlemanly' approach may be expected, where managers are expected to be prepared to get less than they would like. Operating in a way which does not fit cultural norms may lead to distressed and disgruntled players.
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