Get real-time tactical coaching during any negotiation — from salary talks and contract renewals to vendor deals and partnership discussions. This guide walks you through how to set up and get the most out of Hedy's Negotiation session type.
Step 1: Select the Negotiation Session Type
Before you start your negotiation, make sure Hedy is in the right mode:
Open Hedy and go to Meeting Settings
Select Negotiation as your session type
This switches Hedy into negotiation mode. Every suggestion, summary, and analysis will be tailored specifically for negotiations.
Step 2: Set Up Your Session Context
This is the most important step. Before you start recording, tap Session Context and tell Hedy about your negotiation. Five minutes of context setup is worth more than anything else you can do — it makes every suggestion sharper and more relevant.
Here's what to include:
What you're negotiating
Be specific. "Salary negotiation for a Senior PM role at Acme Corp" is much better than "salary talk."
Your priorities (in order)
What matters most to you? For example: "Base salary is my top priority, followed by equity, then remote flexibility. I'm flexible on start date."
Your target and walkaway
What's your ideal outcome? What's the minimum you'd accept? For example: "Target: $185K base. I'd accept $170K if the equity package is strong. Below $160K is a walkaway."
What you know about the other party
Any background helps. Their budget range, timeline pressure, who has decision-making authority, what alternatives they have, what they've offered others.
Your alternatives
What happens if this negotiation doesn't work out? "I have another offer at $165K" or "We have two other vendors who can deliver by Q3." The stronger your alternative, the more leverage Hedy can help you use.
Non-negotiables
Anything you absolutely can't move on. "I need to start by March 1" or "Payment terms must be net-30."
Example context: "Negotiating annual SaaS contract renewal with our CRM vendor. Current contract is $48K/year for 50 seats. They're proposing a 15% increase to $55.2K. We need to add 20 seats. Our budget ceiling is $52K for 70 seats. We've evaluated two competitors at $45K for 70 seats but migration would take 3 months. Renewal deadline is March 15. We've been a customer for 3 years with no support issues."
Step 3: Start Your Negotiation
Hit start and negotiate naturally. Hedy works in the background — you don't need to do anything special.
Automatic suggestions appear on their own as the conversation unfolds. Glance down when you have a moment. They fall into four categories:
Information gathering — Questions to uncover the other party's constraints, alternatives, and real priorities
Frame control — Ways to reframe the conversation using objective criteria
Tactical counters — Specific things you can say right now: conditional offers, labeling techniques, strategic pauses
De-escalation — When tension rises, ways to lower the temperature without giving ground
Quick Actions You Can Tap Anytime
When you want specific help during the negotiation, tap a quick action. There are five categories:
Understand Their Position
Probe their underlying interests — not just what they're asking for, but why
Uncover constraints like budget limits, deadlines, and authority levels
Detect signals about their alternatives
Clarify which decision criteria matter most to them
Strengthen Your Position
Frame your offer around what the other party values most
Set or respond to anchors effectively
Identify information advantages you can leverage
Structure multi-issue package deals
Navigate the Conversation
Handle objections without conceding
De-escalate tension while holding your position
Manage the concession exchange — restore reciprocity if you've been giving more
Redirect adversarial framing toward shared interests
Move Toward Agreement
Find creative options that expand the pie for both sides
Structure conditional trades: "If I do X, can you offer Y?"
Summarize what's been agreed and propose next steps
Test where the other party still has flexibility
Analyze the Situation
Get a full concession tracker — who gave what, and when
Assess power dynamics and leverage
Evaluate the current deal structure: what's agreed, what's open, what's risky
Identify which negotiation phase you're in
Step 4: Review Your Results
After your session, Hedy generates two outputs tailored for negotiations:
Session Summary (Recap)
Summary — What happened, scaled to the length of the session
Key points — Positions stated, interests uncovered, constraints revealed, concessions tracked, agreements reached, and unresolved items
Action items — Follow-ups, research needed, counterproposals to prepare
Your to-dos — Personal action items with suggested due dates
Detailed Notes
A comprehensive negotiation record with dedicated sections for:
Positions & Interests — What each party wants vs. why they want it
Proposals & Counterproposals — Every offer made, by whom, and how they relate
Concessions & Trade-offs — What each side gave up and whether it was reciprocated
Constraints & Flexibility — Hard limits vs. soft ones, and where flexibility was signaled
Agreements Reached — All points of agreement with specific terms
Unresolved Items — What's still open and potential paths forward
Next Steps — Follow-up actions, deadlines, and conditions
What Hedy Will Never Do
Tell you to accept or reject an offer — Hedy helps you evaluate, never decides for you
Reveal your bottom line on screen — Even if you shared it in context, Hedy won't surface it where someone could see
Suggest splitting the difference — That's almost never the best move
Recommend giving something away for free — Hedy always frames concessions as conditional trades
Tips for Best Results
Context is everything. The more Hedy knows going in, the better every suggestion will be.
Update context between rounds. If your negotiation spans multiple sessions, update your context with what you learned in the previous round.
Use "Analyze the Situation" as a checkpoint. The concession tracker and power dynamics analysis become more useful as the negotiation progresses.
Stay present. Hedy's suggestions will be there when you glance down. Don't read during critical moments — stay engaged with the other party.
Pro tip: Use the detailed notes to prepare for follow-up rounds. They give you a complete record of where things stand — every proposal, every concession, every open item — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.