I’m at school getting ready to participate in a negotiation role play. The exercise is part of my practicum course in conflict resolution and mediation.

We’ve had to mediate several different kinds of scenarios in this class, like land boundary conflicts and union workers’ concerns, but this particular one is a husband and wife trying to resolve some domestic discord. He wants her take care of everything in the house and she’s not having it. There are two pairs of partners who will take turns working in a ‘fish bowl’ – meaning everyone else in the class observes and assesses each negotiation as it takes place.

I am working with the other ‘wife’ preparing our side of the case while the two ‘husbands’ are in another room getting ready. The woman from the other pair is very optimistic and as we prepare she is saying things like ‘oh this is not so hard’ and ‘I’m sure we can work it...