Beyond Tactics
A Negotiator's Strategy for High-Stakes Deals, Disputes, and Decisions
Most high-stakes negotiations stall not because agreement is impossible — but because the parties haven't honestly confronted what no agreement will actually cost them. When they do, deals close and disputes resolve. Beyond Tacticsis the framework for creating that clarity.
By Eric C. Boughman · Attorney · Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator
What you'll learn
Beyond Tactics is built around the RECO Method™ — Realistic Exposure to a Catastrophic Outcome — a strategic framework that Eric Boughman developed over twenty years of legal practice and hundreds of mediations.
In seventeen chapters, you will learn:
- →How to identify and map your realistic downside in any negotiation or dispute
- →Why BATNA fails in entangled conflicts — and what to use instead
- →The psychology of loss aversion and how to use it ethically to create movement
- →How to make risk visible without issuing threats
- →The specific behavioral tools that amplify the RECO framework
- →When RECO backfires — and how to recover
- →How to apply RECO to the most important negotiation you will ever face: the one you have with yourself
Inside the Book
When a Nuisance Becomes a Catastrophe
From Tactics to Strategy
The RECO Mindset
Understanding RECO, the psychology of loss, and the critical turning points in negotiation.
Applying the RECO Method
The four-step framework: Reality Testing, Quantifying the Catastrophe, Framing the Loss, and Building the Golden Bridge.
RECO in Real Life — Case Studies and Applications
Healthcare, leadership, sales, personal negotiations, and legal settlements — real disputes where the RECO framework changed outcomes.
Mastering RECO
Advanced applications, designing the RECO moment, troubleshooting, and negotiating with yourself.
This book was written for you if...
You are a business owner who has been in a dispute that cost far more than it should have
You are an executive who negotiates significant contracts or manages serious conflicts
You are an attorney who helps clients assess risk and make decisions about litigation and settlement
You are a healthcare professional navigating the business and regulatory side of medicine
You are a leader who makes high-stakes decisions and wants a framework for doing it better
About Eric C. Boughman
Eric C. Boughman is an attorney, Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator, and founding partner of ForsterBoughman in Central Florida. He has practiced healthcare, business, and technology law for more than two decades and has conducted hundreds of mediations across healthcare, technology, partnership, and complex commercial disputes.
He holds a Certificate in Mediation and Conflict Management from Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation and a post-graduate Certificate in Health Care Law from Brandeis University. He is recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, and AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.
Full Biography →Order Beyond Tactics
Available now. Start with the free RECO Worksheet while you wait for your copy.