3. Read the paragraph below and identify the skills which are essential for an effective negotiator.

Skill at the negotiations is essential to the manager. It can often mean life or death for his career. A basic fact about negotiation, easy to forge, is that people involved in it, are not an abstract “other” side but the real human beings. Whenever Mr Fowler enters into negotiations he often pays attention to his human aspect of negotiations. He bears in mind the old proverb saying that a diplomat is somebody who can tell you to go hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip.

Therefore he is soft on the people being at the same time hard on the problem. However he does not dig in to his position but tries to focus on interests instead. The manager doesn’t think in terms of win-lose situations, his tactic is to ensure that all parties benefit: a win-win situation. He always knows when “something’s got to give”. With such an approach it is easy to avoid conflicts which could end in a deadlock and finally lead to breaking off negotiations. The negotiating partners appreciate that Mr Fowler will never try to trip them up but will rather dance with them toward a mutually agreeable outcome.

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions.

1. What does the word “negotiation” refer to?

2. What is an aim of negotiation?

3. What does the term “distributive” imply”?

4. What does the term “integrative” imply?

5. What is the difference between integrative and distributive negotiations?

Exercise 2. Find words in the texts above which mean the following

1. an agreement that is achieved after everyone involved accepts less than what they wanted at first

2. to give something such as an area of land or a right to a country or person, especially when you are forced to

3. when you work with someone to achieve something you both want

4. to develop something new, especially a strong relationship with other people, groups, or countries

5. to hit something with your foot so that you fall, or to make someone do this; to make a mistake or to force someone to make a mistake by tricking them

6. to remember a fact or piece of information that is important or could be useful in the future

7. to be lenient towards somebody

8. when a buyer and seller negotiate rapidly to find a price they can agree to

9. a situation in which the disagreement cannot be settled

10. to have a bad effect on something

Exercise 3. a) Here are the tips which will improve your chances to win the debates. Consider them and place in order of priority for making the negotiation effective. Explain your reasons.

1. Back your words by documents to win a negotiation

2. Focus on the other person’s need

3.  Be informed

4. Use body language to hide your own emotions

5. Collect feedback using body language

6. Read faces

7. Reply back with another question

8. Use the machine gun technique in negotiations

9. Be aware of color psychology in negotiations

10. Be flexible

b) Read the paragraphs, fill in the sentences taken from the text and match each paragraph with the tips above.

1. (__________________). One of the most popular causes for losing ground in a negotiation is lack of information. Facts can't help you convince people only because they make sense but because they also make you sound more confident. _______________________________ you talk and this provides further creditability to your words.

2. (__________________).When negotiating with someone it can be very beneficial to use documents to support your words. ______________________________________it’s as if you are saying "I'm not telling you My opinion, I'm giving you straight facts". Even if the sources aren't known to him the data will give him the impression that you know more than him.

3. (__________________). It doesn’t just mean eye contact and posture but it also refers to the well-known body language gestures that show the current state of mind of the person you are negotiating with. The state of positive evaluation, state of negative evaluation, state of interest and the state of lying can help you know exactly ________________________________ .

4. (__________________). There are two common uses for body language, to read the emotions of others and to hide yours. ____________________________ you will be able to leave the impression you want and this will help you win the negotiation. It's not about the feelings you get during the negotiation but it’s all about the feelings you reveal.

5. (__________________). Do you know that the colors you wear can help you do better at a negotiation? It’s recommended that you wear blue in a negotiation because ________________________ that you are trustworthy and loyal.

6. (_________________).There is no one method that can convince all people to believe in something during a negotiation because each person is different. For example, you can hardly convince a stubborn person by repetition as he will resist you more when you repeat your arguments. By using face reading you can determine the type of person that you ____________________________________________ with your beliefs.

7. (________________).This technique is based on using many different unrelated arguments together in a fast manner so that __________________________________. When you use this technique in negotiations your chance of shaking the confidence of the person you are negotiating with becomes much higher.

8. (_______________).If for some reason you found a strong resistance during a negotiation then don’t waste your effort by _______________________________. If the other person you are negotiating with was well informed about one point or if his belief system contradicts with this point then convincing him might be a hard task.

9. (______________). ____________________________ that you don’t want to answer you can reply back with another question to distract him.

10. (______________).One big mistake many people do in negotiations is _______________________ while forgetting that each person has different needs. Focus on the person's needs, belief system and values and not yours in order to win a negotiation.

• thinking that all people think the same way

• it will give the impression

• the other person loses hope in replying to them all

• When you feel confident it shows up in the way

• are dealing with and so know how to convince him

• insisting on the same point but instead move to another one

• In case you were asked a question

• By learning about body language

• about the feelings of the person you are negotiating with

• When you use documents during negotiations to support your arguments

Exercise 4. What do you know about the negotiation styles? R.G. Shell identified five styles/responses to negotiation. Individuals can often have strong dispositions towards numerous styles; the style used during a negotiation depends on the context and the interests of the other party, among other factors. In addition, styles can change over time.

Match the negotiation styles below with their explanations and fill in the missing words.

1. Accommodating

2. Avoiding

3. Compromising

4. Collaborating

5. Competing

1. Individuals who enjoy negotiations that i_______ solving tough problems in creative ways. They are good at using negotiations to understand the c_______ and interests of the other parties. They can, however, create problems by t__________ simple situations into more complex ones.

2. Individuals who enjoy s__________ the other party’s problems and p__________ personal relationships. They are sensitive to the emotional states, body language, and verbal signals of the other parties. They can, however, feel taken a___________ of in situations when the other party p________ little emphasis on the relationship.

3. Individuals who do not like to negotiate and don’t do it unless warranted. When negotiating, they t_________ to defer and dodge the confrontational aspects of negotiating; however, they may be perceived as t________ and diplomatic.

4. Individuals who are e_______ to close the deal by doing what is fair and equal for all parties involved in the negotiation. They can be useful when there is limited time to c___________ the deal; however, they often unnecessarily rush the negotiation process and make concessions too quickly.

5. Individuals who enjoy negotiations because they p_______________ an opportunity to win something. They have strong i_______________ for all aspects of negotiating and are often strategic. Because their style can dominate the bargaining process, competitive negotiators often neglect the i_____________ of relationships.

Exercise 5. Tactics are always an important part of the negotiating process. But tactics don't often jump up and down shouting "Here I am, look at me." If they did, the other side would see right through them and they would not be effective. More often than not they are subtle, difficult to identify and used for multiple purposes. Tactics are more frequently used in distributive negotiations and when the focus in on taking as much value off the table as possible. Many negotiation tactics exist.