“For instance, negotiators often conduct experiments—first I’ll interrupt you, and then I’ll be polite, and then I’ll bring up a new topic or make an unexpected concession, and watch what you do—until everyone decides, together, which norms are accepted, and how this conversation should unfold. These experiments can take the form of proposals or solutions, or unanticipated suggestions or new topics that are suddenly introduced. In each case, the goal is the same: To see if this probe reveals a path forward. “Great negotiators are artists,” said Michele Gelfand, a professor at Stanford’s business school. “They take conversations in unexpected directions.”