LESSON : NEGOTIATION IN ENGLISH

Negotiations

One of the most important skills anyone can hold in daily life is the ability to negotiate. In general terms, a negotiation is a resolution of conflict. We enter negotiations in order to start or continue a relationship and resolve an issue. Even before we accept our first jobs, or begin our careers, we all learn how to negotiate. For one person it begins with the negotiation of an allowance with a parent. For another it involves negotiating a television schedule with a sibling. Some people are naturally stronger negotiators, and are capable of getting their needs met more easily than others. Without the ability to negotiate, people break off relationships, quit jobs, or deliberately avoid conflict and uncomfortable situations.

In the world of business, negotiating skills are used for a variety of reasons, such as to negotiate a salary or a promotion, to secure a sale, or to form a new partnership. Here are a few examples of different types of negotiations in the business world:

• Business Partner A and B: Making decisions about investments
• Company A and Company B: Negotiating a merger
• Customer and Client: Making a Sale

The Art of Negotiating

Negotiating is often referred to as an "art". While some people may be naturally more skillful as negotiators, everyone can learn to negotiate. And, as they often say in business, everything is negotiable. Some techniques and skills that aid people in the negotiating process include:

• Aiming high
• Visualizing the end results
• Treating one's opponent with respect and honesty
• Preparing ahead of time
• Exhibiting confidence

Throughout this lesson, we will review important techniques and skills to learn before negotiating. We will also examine certain tactics your opponents may use at the negotiating table. These pages are designed to prepare you for negotiating in English in the business world, but they will also help you achieve your goals in everyday life.

Preparing to Negotiate

Lack of preparation in a negotiation almost always sets a person up for failure. First and foremost, each party must clearly define their own goals and objectives. Secondly, each party must anticipate the goals of the opposition. This may require doing some background research. Finally, each party must come up with various alternatives to their main objectives.

Here are some preparatory questions to ask yourself before beginning talks with the other party:

• What is my main objective?
• What are all of the alternatives I can think of?
• Why do I deserve to have my goals met?
• What will my opponent's counter proposal likely consist of?
• How can I respond to this counter proposal?
• When would I like to have this issue resolved?
• What is my bottom-line?
• What market research/homework do I need to do to back up my cause?
• What is my bargaining power compared to my opponent's?
• What do I know about the principles of negotiating?

Collaborative Negotiating

In business, the goal of negotiating parties should always be for mutual gain. This type of win-win negotiation is often called collaborative negotating. The opposite of collaborative negotiating is called competitive negotiating. The goal of competitive negotiating is for one party to win and the other to lose. Dishonest practices, such as lying, manipulation, intimidation, and bribery are often used in this type of negotiation.

Main Principles of Collaborative Negotiating:

• Resolve previous conflicts ahead of time
• Deal with issues, not personalities
• Commit to listening more than speaking: The more you know about your counterpart, the more likely you will achieve your goals. You cannot convince someone of something when you do not know anything about them, or what their own needs are. A common mistake is to prepare one's next question or point while the opponent is speaking.
• Establish trust in the onset
• Develop a common goal
• Discuss a common enemy
• Take opponent's views/needs into careful consideration: Not only do you want to win this negotiation, you want your opponent to win as well, so that he or she will negotiate with you again in the future.

The Negotiation Process

It's time to negotiate! Here are a few golden rules to successful negotiations:

1. Always try to negotiate for at least 15 minutes. Any less than that and it is unlikely that either party has had enough time to fairly consider the other side. Generally, the size or seriousness of the negotiation determines the amount of time needed to negotiate it. Setting a time limit is a good idea. Approximately 90% of negotiations get settled in the last 10% of the discussion.
2. Always offer to let the other party speak first. This is especially important if you are the one making a request for something such as a raise. The other party may have overestimated what you are going to ask for and may actually offer more than what you were going to request.
3. Always respect and listen to what your opponent has to say. This is important even if he or she does not extend the same courtesy to you. Do your best to remain calm and pleasant even if the other party is displaying frustration or anger. Remember some people will do anything to intimidate you.
4. Acknowledge what the other party says. Everyone likes to know that what they say is important. If the other party opens first, use it to your advantage, by paraphrasing what you have heard. Repeat their important ideas before you introduce your own stronger ones.
5. Pay attention to your own and your counterpartner's body language. Review the chart below to learn how to interpret body language during the negotiations. Make sure that you aren't conveying any negative body language.

Language to use to show understanding/agreement on a point:

• I agree with you on that point.
• That's a fair suggestion.
• So what you're saying is that you...
• In other words, you feel that...
• You have a strong point there.
• I think we can both agree that...
• I don't see any problem with/harm in that.

Language to use for objection on a point or offer:

• I understand where you're coming from; however,...
• I'm prepared to compromise, but...
• The way I look at it...
• The way I see things...
• If you look at it from my point of view...
• I'm afraid I had something different in mind.
• That's not exactly how I look at it.
• From my perspective...
• I'd have to disagree with you there.
• I'm afraid that doesn't work for me.
• Is that your best offer?

Share This :