A negotiation paper is a document that two or more opposing sides make that states the approved terms of a compromise or agreement between the parties involved in some type of conflict, such as a business matter. It is created when two or more opposing sides involved in a conflict have negotiated to reach a final resolution. A negotiation paper is similar to a contract because all parties involved have to give something in order to receive anything in the final compromise. Each situation that requires a negotiation paper to be created is unique, but there are general guidelines that should be followed when the paper is being created.
When a negotiation paper is created, for example, the arguments of each party should be clearly stated, and the compromises to those arguments should then be clarified. After the arguments have been acknowledged and the compromises have been listed, the compromises then must be approved by all parties or the representatives for each side. If approved, the parties involved have then acknowledged the document and agree that it will be followed by all parties involved.
Negotiation papers are mainly used to solve major conflicts and are usually the end result of a successful negotiation. There are occasions, however, when one can use a negotiation paper to prevent an argument or conflict. The process to create a negotiation paper to prevent arguments is very similar to a usual negotiation paper that is used to solve arguments after they have occurred, except that one would present arguments or potential conflicts that might take place in the future, and the compromises would be enforced only if the potential conflict does in fact occur. Each situation that requires a negotiation paper to be created is unique, but all negotiation papers revolve around compromise in order to reach a final resolution to a conflict.