Frequently Asked Questions

Negotiation Stories is a free community-driven platform where people share real-world negotiation, conflict, and resolution stories. These stories help others learn from lived experience—what worked, what didn’t, and what people would do differently next time.

Negotiation Stories is for professionals, leaders, educators, students, mediators, negotiators, and anyone who negotiates in daily life. You do not need to be a negotiation expert to participate.

Negotiation Stories was created by Dr. Joshua N. Weiss, an internationally recognized expert in negotiation, conflict resolution, and leadership. Dr. Weiss is the founder of the Negotiation Stories platform and has spent decades researching, teaching, and practicing negotiation across business, government, and international settings. To learn more about his work, visit www.joshuanweiss.com.

Yes. Membership is currently free and allows you to post stories, comment on others’ experiences, and access community-only content.

Yes. You may delete your account or request removal of your content at any time by contacting us.

Negotiation Stories is designed to help people connect, learn from one another, and share real experiences. Because of that, some of the information you provide will be visible to other community members. Here’s what to expect: Your name, profile photo, and bio are visible to other members Any posts, comments, or stories you share will be visible within the community Your profile helps others understand your background and interests so meaningful connections can happen Your information is not public on the open web and not visible to non-members.

This is a members-only community Only registered and approved members can view profiles and posts You control what you choose to share in your profile and in discussions Your information is never sold or shared outside the community If you’re here, it’s because you want to learn, connect, and contribute — and we aim to make that experience respectful and safe.

Negotiation Stories works best when members can: Recognize each other Understand each other’s perspectives Reach out, respond, and collaborate Visibility allows real conversations and real relationships to form — which is at the heart of this community.

Please do not include confidential or proprietary information, identifying details about others without consent, hate speech, harassment, threats, or professional advice.

No. Only members may post and members will see what you post.

Contributors retain ownership of the stories they share. By posting a story on the platform, you grant the site permission to display the content within the community for discussion and learning purposes. Posting a story does not transfer your copyright or ownership of the material.

Stories may be lightly edited for clarity, length, or formatting. We will not change the meaning of your story without your permission.

Yes, stories may be used in anonymized form for education, training, or research. If expanded or commercial use is requested, we will contact you for additional consent.

If your story involves sensitive professional or personal situations, we encourage you to remove or generalize identifying details. For example, you may wish to: • Avoid using real names of individuals or organizations. • Refer to roles instead of people (e.g., “a colleague,” “a client,” “a senior leader”). • Change non-essential details such as location, timing, or industry if needed. • Focus on the negotiation dynamics, decisions, and lessons learned rather than identifying specifics. The goal of the platform is to share insights and learning from real negotiation experiences while respecting confidentiality and professional boundaries.

You can share stories about workplace negotiations, business deals, family or relationship conflicts, community or organizational disputes, mediation experiences, and everyday negotiations.

Negotiation Stories is moderated by Dr. Joshua N. Weiss, the creator of the platform and an experienced negotiation and conflict resolution expert. Moderation is designed to ensure respectful dialogue, psychological safety, and meaningful learning across the community. Content that violates community guidelines may be edited or removed to maintain a constructive and supportive environment. All stories are subject to review and may be removed if deemed inappropriate.

Yes. Thoughtful, respectful discussion is encouraged. Disagreements are welcome; disrespect is not.

You can use reporting tools within the community or contact us directly through the site’s contact form.

Negotiation Stories may allow members to share written stories, audio recordings, photographs, and videos, depending on the post type. However, all media content must comply with the following rules: By uploading media, you confirm that: You own the rights to the content or have explicit permission to share it The content does not violate any copyright, trademark, or intellectual property rights All individuals shown or heard have given their consent to be included, especially in recorded media No minors (anyone under 18) appear in photos, videos, or audio recordings under any circumstances The content does not contain pornography, sexually explicit material, or graphic sexual content The content does not depict violence, abuse, harassment, hate speech, or illegal activity The content is not misleading, defamatory, or intentionally harmful Additional guidelines: Do not upload confidential, proprietary, or private information Do not include identifying details about third parties without permission Educational, reflective, and storytelling-focused media is strongly encouraged Negotiation Stories reserves the right to review, remove, or restrict media content that violates these guidelines or compromises the safety, integrity, or educational mission of the community.

No. Negotiation Stories is for educational and informational purposes only and does not provide legal, medical, or professional advice.

Only if you have their permission and the information is not confidential. When in doubt, anonymize details.

We collect only the information necessary to operate the community and do not sell or trade your data. Please review our Privacy Policy for details.

No. Member information is used only for managing the community and communicating about the platform. We do not sell or share member data, and members will not receive unsolicited marketing emails or spam. Any communications from the site will relate directly to the community, such as updates, announcements, or important information about the platform.