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Many people who get into serious debt appear to do nothing about it, which can just makes matters worse. This inactivity is usually just to do with a lack of understanding about the best ways to deal with debt, though with some people there is also an element of hoping that if you ignore it long enough it might go away. The one thing you can be sure of is that it will not go away, but once you understand what you need to do, you can take steps yourself to become debt free once more.

If you ignore creditors and do not communicate with them, they will fill that vacuum with their own assumptions. In the absence of other information or any kind of relationship, it will be easy for them to assume that you could pay them back if you really wanted to, but are simply choosing to keep the money you owe. So the first thing you need to do is to acknowledge that you have a problem, be up front about the reasons that you are unable to pay, and assure them that you are serious about finding a way to resolve the situation.

When your financial situation gets beyond a certain point, it becomes pretty much impossible to find a way to pay back everything that you owe in full. If your debts are huge and your income small, this equation is unlikely to ever balance out. If you did have a steady income and a reasonable amount of money spare each month to put towards your debts, then you could look at a debt management plan. For many people, however, this is not an option because they cannot afford to keep up the required payments.

In such situations the only option other than bankruptcy is to negotiate settlements with your creditors. Rather than trying to find ways to pay back your debt in full, when you negotiate debt settlements you are trying to get your creditors to agree to write off a large part of what you owe them. Someone who knows how to negotiate debt effectively will normally manage to get well over half your debt wiped out. The flip side is that the remaining amount needs to be paid back relatively quickly, usually in one lump sum or a series of fairly quick payments. The fact that you do not have a large lump sum of cash sitting around for this purpose is not necessarily a problem, as this is usually the situation.

When thinking about how to negotiate debt you essentially have two options for how you move forward. You can either try to undertake the negotiations yourself or use a specialist debt settlement company to do it on your behalf. For UK residents it is worth mentioning that debt settlement companies do not really exist as they do in the US, because there is a formal scheme called an IVA, which is widely used to deal with the same situation. At the end of an IVA your remaining debts are written off, so the end result is the same as debt settlement.

By undertaking the negotiation yourself you save on having to pay any fees to a debt settlement or IVA company, but that is only worthwhile if you manage to get as much written off as they would have. You need to understand that simply trying to persuade a credit card company, for example, to let you off with 60% of what you owe them is not going to work unless you understand the details of how and why they might be prepared to do that.

Understanding how to negotiate debt settlements is about understanding how your creditors treat bad debts. Each company will have a slightly different policy on how they deal with such things, and knowing this is essential to being able to time your negotiations for maximum effect. There are times to ignore calls and offers from creditors and other times when your proposal is most likely to succeed.

It is certainly possible to negotiate deals that are as good as those achieved by the professional debt negotiators once you have a thorough understanding of how to negotiate debt properly. In order to achieve this you need to have a reliable source of information and advice on the debt negotiation process. There are various guides and learning sources available, but not all are of much real use. What you need is detailed advice from someone who understands the process inside out. A good guide should tell you when to call, what to say, when to write, what to write, and give you full step by step instructions. The best guides on how to negotiate debt are proper learning tools that even include one to one advice and ongoing support throughout your settlement process.

The alternative is to use a specialist company to negotiate debt settlements for you, for which they will take a percentage of what they manage to save. Going down this route is obviously much easier, though you will pocket a bit less of the savings achieved. Do exercise some caution over which company you use, as not all will deliver what they promise. It is best to follow recommendations for settlement companies that are known to be reliable and reputable, then approach at least three different ones.

Running in a race can be a lot of fun. Much of this fun comes from being surrounded by all the other racers. Some races even have tens of thousands of participants. So, unless you are an introvert (and some runners truly are), a race like this can be like fun to the tenth power.

But a race, especially a larger race, presents certain hazards. And some of those hazards come from your fellow runners. Consider the following hazards before your next race, so you that you may avoid more of them and get to enjoy the race instead of later regretting it.

Hazard: Stopping to tie a shoelace

This is a classic hazard that tends to happen toward the start of a race, when a runner’s first response is to take care of the loose shoelace instead of to consider where he or she is and that stopping in a crowd of runners could cause a lot of falls. It usually occurs with a new runner, but it can happen with a veteran runner, too.

Avoid this hazard by being very observant for the first mile of the race and by every so often listening for flopping laces and glancing at other racers’ shoes.

Hazard: Tossing a cup

This hazard most often occurs in the water-stop areas of races. A runner grabs a cup of water, pours some of it over his or her head or sips some of it, and then carelessly tosses the half-full cup to the ground, leaving you to possibly slip on it.

Avoid this hazard by running far around water stops where you need not get hydration and by watching other runners carefully when you join them to get your own cup.

Hazard: Spitting phlegm

This hazard is more psychological than physical. Running a race requires good breathing, so running will often quickly reveal to a runner that his or her airway is partially blocked. Getting spit upon by a runner who has just cleared a throat that has filled with phlegm likely will not affect you physically during the race, although you could eventually develop a cold from that spit, if it lands in the wrong place. But getting spit upon can ruin your attitude, if you let it, which can hurt your performance as well as your enjoyment of the race.

Avoid this hazard by listening for nose sniffles and throat clearing from fellow runners.

Anchoring occurs in every negotiation in one form or another. To enhance your negotiation position, be aware of when it occurs, the intent of it, the mindset you adopt when observing it, and what response you or your negotiation counterpart will have to it. Those ingredients will drastically affect the flow and outcome of the negotiation. Consider the following.

Anchoring Intent:
Know the intent of anchoring. It should align with your negotiation plans. In some situations, it may be prudent to let the other negotiator anchor his position first. The justification would be based on him displaying more of his position than you displaying yours. Regardless of the option you choose, remember the person that anchors first sets a mile-marker that establishes a boundary in the negotiation.

Anchoring Tonality:
When considering how to implant your anchor, consider the tonality you’ll employ to assist your efforts. As an example, if you state your position with a timid sounding voice, you run the risk of sounding unsure and weak. On the other hand, if you convey your intent with a rich and deep voice, you’ll project the perception of authority. You’ll be more believable, influential, and convincing; a deep voice is commanding; It projects authority. In either case, be mindful of the perception your tone of voice has on your pronouncements.

Anticipate Response:
Unlike other tools in a negotiation, you should use anchoring judiciously. It will become the cornerstone upon which an easy or tough negotiation ensues.

Before choosing when and how you’ll anchor your position, consider what the response might be to it. When planning, assemble actions that will buttress up and progress your position, while keeping the negotiation away from quagmires.

You should always anticipate your counterpart’s next move. When anchoring, anticipate several future moves that he might make. Since anchoring establishes the foundation from which you’ll move forward, be more diligent in your timing, thought process, and implementation.

Mental Mindset:
Be aware of your mental state of mind when attempting to use anchoring as a viable tool in negotiations. If you’re mentally weak about making your offer, per how you’ll anchor it, assess why you have that mindset; more than likely, it won’t serve the goals you’re attempting to achieve. If you can’t muster the mental fortitude to deliver your offer in a manner that supports your efforts, it may be better not to anchor it at all. You don’t want to worsen your chance of acquiring a better deal.

Counter Anchoring:
If you’re aware of what your negotiation counterpart is attempting to achieve by anchoring you to his position, and you don’t like the position it places you in, counter to the extreme opposite. The subliminal message you’ll send is, there’s a wide gap to overcome. It will also serve to message that both of you will have to make a significant movement to advance the negotiation. You can signal that you’re willing to attempt that broach if he is, too.

The potential pitfall of responding to the extreme is to risk an impasse due to such a wide gap in anchors. Thus, you should be thoughtful about how you refute an anchor that’s established and whether you’ll set it first.

Anchoring is the persister that sets the boundaries that follow. It also foreshadows the strategies that will persist after its establishment. Used adroitly, it can be the first volley of an enhanced negotiation. Thus, if you use anchoring skillfully, you’ll be on a path to heightened negotiation outcomes… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!