Readiness in negotiation refers to which of the following?

• A. The willingness to walk away if needed.
• B. The capacity of parties to decide it is in their best interest to negotiate.
• C. The ability to determine the other party's bottom line.
• D. The certainty that an agreement can be enforced.

Answer: (B)

Readiness in negotiation means deciding that it makes sense to engage in talks because you believe negotiating can improve your outcome compared with your best alternative. It’s about recognizing value in negotiating, having the authority and resources to participate, and understanding your interests, options, and potential concessions. When both sides feel they have something to gain and are prepared to invest time and effort to reach an agreement, they are ready to negotiate. This is different from simply being willing to walk away (that’s a negotiating stance tied to leverage), guessing the other side’s bottom line (that’s about information and speculation), or assuming any agreement can be enforced (enforceability is about contract terms and law, not readiness to start negotiating).