During a negotiation

English

For

Business

Communication

A Modular Short Course on

· Meetings

· Negotiations

· Presentations

· Telephoning

· Socialising

Trainer

Andrei L. Chernyshev

VORONEZH – 2014

Andrei L. Chernyshev 2014

Day 2

Negotiating

Agenda

• Types of negotiation. Situations and negotiators. Welcome, introductions, and small talk.
• Setting the agenda. Prioritizing objectives. Getting to know the other side.
• Sequencing and linking. Controlling the negotiation process.
• Presenting the positions, getting feedback.
• Clarifying positions. Asking questions and showing interest.
• Making a proposal. Responding to a proposal. Offering a counterproposal.
• Managing conflict. Dealing with differences. Setting matters.
• Bargaining. Exerting pressure and making conditions.
• Conclusion and agreement. Setting up an action plan. Closing.
• Useful phrases.
• Test.
• Games.

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Involving others

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Appendix A

Negotiating is the process of trying to reach an agreement, or to decide something through discussion. People negotiate in a variety of situations, from shopping in a market to taking part in United Nations peace talks. The world of business provides many opportunities for negotiating:

· An employee and employer may negotiate working conditions, e.g. a pay rise, a company car, a travel allowance.

· Sales staff and customers negotiate the price of a sale, the terms of payment, delivery dates, discounts and product specifications.

· A company will negotiate a contract with a distributor.

· Two groups will try to reach agreement over the sale of a business.

· Unions have talks with management over members’ pay and working conditions.

While some negotiations take place over a series of formal meetings, others may be carried out in a five-minute telephone conversation.

The aim of a negotiation is to reach agreement or resolve differences. The skills you need and the language you use will be similar in any type of negotiation.

Key words and phrases

People

This section tells you about words used to talk about the people who negotiate, especially in a formal situation.

Negotiator – a person who negotiates: He’s a very experienced / skilful / tough / successful negotiator.

Representative – a person who acts and speaks for his or her organization: Our accountant will be our representative in this discussion.

Opposite number – the person you are dealing with in a negotiation: Have you met your opposite number yet?

Counterpart – a person of equal status in another organization: The financial controller contacted his counterpart in a rival company.

During a negotiation

Below are some phrases that describe what happens within the negotiation process.

Enter into negotiations (with someone) – to start discussions with someone: We are hoping to enter into negotiations with our main competitors.

Sit round the negotiating table – to come together in a meeting: I think it’s time to sit round the negotiating table and discuss our differences.

Bargain – to discuss or argue about something in order to try to find agreement: After bargaining for hours, they finally agreed on a price.

Haggle over (something) – to argue about the price of an item before buying or selling: Do you think the deal is worth haggling over?

Make concessions – to give up or grant something, especially after discussion: We are prepared to make concessions on price, but not on delivery dates.

Compromise (over an issue) – to reach agreement by modifying aims and objectives: Both partners were ready to compromise over the amount of share capital needed.

Settle differences – to come to an agreement over points of difference: Lawyers were called in to settle the remaining differences.

Iron out problems or differences – to settle something through discussion: I feel that with a little effort our differences can be ironed out.

Propose (something) – to make a suggestion: Mr Ferreira, would you like to propose some changes to the plans?

Common ground – a shared basis for agreement: The two groups need to build on common ground before continuing their discussions.

Concluding the negotiation

You hope to reach agreement in the final stages of a negotiation, though this may not happen every time. Here are some phrases to describe what happens at the end of the negotiation process.

Agree to (something) – to accept e.g. an offer: I’m afraid we cannot agree to the terms you have offered.

Agree with (someone) – to have the same opinion as someone: Perhaps you agree with me?

Agree on (a point) – to come to an agreement: Although we agreed on the price, we were not able to agree on the payment period.

Draw up an agreement – to prepare a written document showing the terms of agreement: The agreement will be drawn up and signed at our next meeting.

A win-win situation – a situation where both sides are satisfied: It seems to me that we should be able to achieve a win-win situation.

Break down – to fail and come to an end: Talks to resolve the dispute have broken down.

Pull out of (e.g. an arrangement) – to withdraw from something such as a meeting, discussion or negotiation: ERC Inc have pulled out of joint venture talks.

Skills

In a negotiation, as in all business situations, it is an advantage to be well prepared. Below are some ideas to help you prepare for your negotiations.

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