Agreement becomes possible when all parties honestly confront what no agreement will actually cost them.
In high-stakes negotiations, disputes, and decisions, that clarity rarely arrives on its own. The RECO Method™ — developed over twenty years of practice and hundreds of mediations — is a framework for creating it deliberately.
By Eric C. Boughman · Attorney · Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator · Author of Beyond Tactics
Most negotiators focus on what they might win. The RECO Method™ focuses on something more important.
In high-stakes negotiations and disputes, the most important question is rarely "what's the best I can get?" It is: "what does losing actually look like — and am I confronting that honestly?"
RECO stands for Realistic Exposure to a Catastrophic Outcome. It is a strategic framework developed by attorney and mediator Eric C. Boughman over more than two decades of practice and hundreds of mediations.
RECO is not about threats. It is not manipulation. It is the disciplined practice of making risk visible — to yourself and, when appropriate, to all parties — so that decisions get made on reality, not wishful thinking.
Learn the RECO Method™Map Your Realistic Exposure
Identify the full range of outcomes — from best case to catastrophic. Be honest about probabilities.
Identify Your Counterpart's RECO
What does the catastrophic outcome look like for them? Their exposure tells you where resolution lies.
Frame Without Threatening
Bring realistic consequences into view in a way that creates clarity — not pressure, not manipulation.
Build the Bridge
Once all parties see the catastrophic outcome clearly, resolution becomes the rational choice.
The RECO Method™ was developed for professionals who face high-stakes situations where the cost of getting it wrong is real.
Attorneys navigating settlement decisions and litigation risk
Business owners in disputes, partnership conflicts, or contract negotiations
Executives managing high-stakes decisions with serious downside risk
Healthcare professionals facing regulatory, business, or practice disputes
Mediators and negotiators seeking a structured framework for complex cases
Leaders who need to make consequential decisions under uncertainty
One framework. Multiple applications.
Beyond Tactics — The Book
The foundational text of the RECO Method™. A practical, case-study-driven guide to high-stakes negotiation, dispute resolution, and strategic decision-making.
Get the Book →RECO Coaching
Work directly with Eric to apply the RECO framework to your specific situation — a business dispute, a negotiation in progress, or a major decision with serious downside risk.
Explore Coaching →Mediation Services
Eric is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator with depth in healthcare, technology, partnership, and complex commercial disputes.
Mediation Services →Fractional General Counsel
Ongoing legal guidance for businesses that need sophisticated counsel without the cost of in-house staff. Through ForsterBoughman.
Outside General Counsel →See Your Real Exposure — Before It Sees You.
The RECO Worksheet is a practical, one-page framework for mapping your realistic downside in any high-stakes negotiation or dispute. It takes fifteen minutes. It changes how you see the situation.
No spam. No sales pressure. Just the framework. Unsubscribe any time.
Send me the RECO Worksheet
The framework grew out of the work.
Eric C. Boughman is an attorney, Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator, and the author of Beyond Tactics. He is a founding partner of ForsterBoughman, a business and healthcare law boutique in Central Florida, and has conducted hundreds of mediations across healthcare, technology, partnership, and complex commercial disputes.
His recognition includes Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, and a Certificate in Mediation and Conflict Management from Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation. He is a proud veteran of the United States Air Force.
The RECO Method™ is not academic theory. It grew directly out of twenty years of practice, hundreds of hours at the negotiating table, and the recurring observation that most disputes fail not because all parties can't agree — but because no one helped them honestly confront what happens if they don't.
Full Bio