Interests reflect what the members of your organization need, which is different than a position which can be thought of as what your organization believes should be done to address your member’s needs.

Interests are the benefits we expect to derive from achieving our goal, rather than focusing on one or more specific solutions to achieve our goal. There may be many ways to achieve our goal. Asking, “How many ways are there to achieve my objective and what desirable results do these alternatives have in common?” will help in differentiating between your interests and your position.

"Interests" relate to underlying motivations. "Positions" relate to things you say you want, demands, terms and conditions, things you say you will do, and things you say you will not do. For example, a couple deciding on a dinner our might present conflicting restaurants they want to go to. This would reflect their "positions". If instead they talked about what they needed from the experience (the cuisine, ambience, personal interactions, convenience, etc) they might find they can agree on a choice that meets both their interests.

If you have any questions about this request please do not hesitate to contact Ada Chan 252-3952. Please do not consider your response final. Instead it is only to facilitate discussion about the next steps. You will have opportunities in the future to refine and clarify your draft representation of your organizations interests.