The opening position is often theater; interests are where reality begins.

First positions are usually staged. They are set high or low to leave room, to establish a reference, or to satisfy someone who is not in the room, and treating them as sincere statements of requirement leads to arguing with a performance. What matters is what each side is actually trying to achieve. That does not appear until later.

Do not react to an opening as though it were the real position. Ask questions instead, about purpose and constraints, until the interests show. The negotiation effectively starts at that point.