(Jerry Clousson presented a workshop, Negotiating for Your Future, at the 1988 annual meeting of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. As we all become more involved in negotiating with insurance companies, governmental agencies, alternative health delivery systems, and, in some cases, our own institutions, he provides some helpful advice.) Preparation should create assertiveness. Exercise it! Make the other side react to you. THE OPENING POSITION Your opening position probably is the most crucial step you will take. Before declaring it, know what you want! Never enter discussions until you do, even if the discussion is supposedly only for preliminary informational purposes. It is almost impossible to avoid giving some signal, sometimes before you have thought out your long-term position. Your opening position will box you in and lessen your flexibility in subsequent talks. When you take it, grab and hold the initiative. Play from your game