Brief comments on writing one's negotiating instructions:

First, look at Appendix B of Shell's book.  You need not use his outline, but most of the information which he requires should be presented in the instructions.  Not all the categories (esp. lower part of 2nd page) are relevant.  The general idea is:

a. (1) clarify the context or 'situation' of your negotiations (for which Shell has his own taxonomy), from which your approach to negotiating should derive; and (2) clearly identify your own objectives

b. (1) work hard to set a firm 'reservation price' on possible exchanges; (2) keep in mind your BATNA (best alternative to negotiated agreement) for plausible negotiated outcomes

c. in order to do b(2)., make an effort to anticipate the objectives and general negotiating plan of other parties (--from this emphasis he derives the slogan "an information based approach to negotiation")

d. from c., prepare to work in concert with other parties, to the extent possible, to achieve your objectives

e. from c., to the extent that you discern conflicting objectives with some parties, try to identify weaknesses in or responses to anticipated to negotiating positions of other parties; ask what bargaining leverage you and they possess.

Other eminent authorities invite you to shape our negotiating instructions in response to whether you anticipate a distributive or an integrative negotiating process.  Almost all international negotiations are sufficiently complex that they may be designed as 'integrative,' at least to an extent.

Keep always in mind that your instructions should provide guidance for your conduct and protection against unfair criticism during and after the negotiation itself.  In the course of a negotiation, you may wish to alter your negotiating instructions.  To do that, you ask a higher authority in your government or organization to approve changes which you propose.  (We'll discuss later how we handle this in the exercise.)

The instructions generally don't extend to detailed planning of the process.  Nor do they usually specify all the tactics that you expect to utilize.  If you can anticipate major obstacles to success, it is wise to identify them.  (In our exercise, you cannot be accused of 'defeatism' by your political superiors.)

Document your instructions with authoritative statements and policy positions taken by leaders of your Party.  Where these are inadequate or absent, try to build a case for the plausibility of positions which you choose.  Use footnotes and citations to legitimate your choices, just as you do in a scholarly research paper.  Since you don't have access to the authoritative people, you may need to document your choices with reference to other leaders' and analysts' attributions to the leaders of your own organization.  (In the actual world, such documentation would likely not be found in any negotiating instructions.)

A clear and comprehensive set of negotiating instructions gives you confidence in the negotiating exercise.  They also make writing the two post-exercise papers much easier.

Finally, note that Shell's book is directed primarily to negotiations in which the negotiators are the principals.  International negotiations, even at summits, are interorganizational negotiations.  They employ agents (namely, such individuals as you choose to represent in the exercise).  The use of agents, particularly multiple agents employing multiple channels of communication, enables a Party to implement a greater variety of negotiating tactics.