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Integrative Negotiation: A creative process whereby negotiators expand on previously assumed parameters and develop alternative resolutions which may enable the parties to achieve relative satisfaction.

Interests: Hopes, expectations, fears, concerns, beliefs, values and any associated needs which must be considered and reflected in any agreement if it is to be satisfactory.

Interest-based: Mediation or negotiation approaches which seek to elicit both obvious/surfaced and underlying needs of the parties.

Issues: The specific problems and challenges which disputing parties attempt to resolve.

Litigation: A lawsuit through which a party(s) choose to take their case to court as the preferred method of conflict resolution. A Litigant is a party engaged in a lawsuit.

Mediation: A process by which a third party neutral intervener attempts to assist conflicting parties in reconciling their differences, in reaching a voluntary resolution of a dispute and/or a transformation of their relationship. The terms mediation is often used interchangeably with conciliation or facilitation.

Memorandum of Understanding: A record of agreement(s) signed by the parties. By agreement, the memorandum may or may not be binding and is helpful to parties by having multi-issue agreements in writing for review, constituent approval, or legal advice.

Negotiation: A process whereby parties attempt to work out a mutually agreeable settlement without the assistance of a neutral third party.

Neutral: A person not in any way connected to the parties nor directly or indirectly involved in a conflict or dispute. The perception of neutrality is also critical. There is a moral, ethical, and legal obligation by those involved as third party interveners to disclose any issue or connection which may compromise their neutrality.

Objectives: In terms of negotiations, what the parties hope to accomplish during discussions.

Parties: The people involved in the negotiations, disagreement, conflict, or dispute.

Objective Criteria: Objective (as opposed to subjective) and agreed upon standards by which options will be judged and decisions will be made.

Open Questions: Designed to elicit information, to probe and to motivate dialogue, open questions cannot be answered by "yes" or "no".

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