In the case of a normal conflict, the negotiation is articulated with acts of coercition and acts of concession, like threats, warnings and promises. When negotiating, it is wiser to focus on the interests rather than on positions. Because of this, various words have lost meaning.

An example is the threat: a threat has success when the actor that threatens can avoid putting it in practice, because doing so means doing something unpleasant also for oneself, and not only for the other. An example is a strike: when enacting a strike, both parties experience a loss.

Using these instruments knowledgeably, or interpreting them in a correct way when one is subject to them, gives back value and effectiveness to negotiation. Some text define the cooperative game as that game in which the players are able to make binding promises (and then fully exploit the negotiation).