Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to be aware of the emotions of oneself and others, to imagine one’s own emotions and how they are expressed, and to manage others’ emotions. Researchers have just recently begun examining whether an empirical link exists between high emotional intelligence and negotiated outcomes. Research published in Volume 30 […]
Negotiation is about reaching out and communicating with another person. No matter how big or sophisticated the negotiation is, there is a human being on the other side of the table. Most of the work people do preparing for negotiation is about finding out what that counterparty needs to hear to be persuaded. What are […]
Negotiation is an inherently assertive act. Negotiators want to impose their will on others; even the softest negotiations are ultimately about changing what the other side does or believes. It’s a justifiable assumption that the easiest, most effective way to effect that change is to do something actively that reshapes how the other side thinks. […]
An interest-based negotiation is like a bespoke suit—or at least, it should be. Often negotiations more resemble picking clothes off the rack, as each party hunts for the deal that fits them the best. Negotiators swap positions back and forth, trading terms like price, quantity, or length of contract against each other to see what […]
Risk is a powerful motivator, and it factors into almost every serious negotiation. Aggressive negotiators use it to pressure their counterparts into a deal by trying to make them focus on the risks they’ll face if they don’t get a deal. They want their counterparts to think about the negative consequences of saying “no.” “You […]
Many women negotiators believe that they face challenges their male counterparts don’t. Social scientists agree. They’ve found, for example, that when negotiating a purchase women are likely to hear a higher initial quote than men would. A recent study explored whether negotiators lie more often to women than men. It found evidence that both men […]
We often think of negotiation as a process that goes on between two people: there’s our side of the table and their side of the table, both trying to reach some solution that accomplishes their interests. Many negotiators focus on those two sides, but forget the table in between them. That’s a mistake, because even […]
The Danger of Assumptions In the early years of the 20th century, Captain Robert Scott launched an ill-fated expedition to reach the South Pole. He and his team understood perfectly well that the trek would be physically demanding, and expected—based on the best nutritional information available at the time—that they’d need a high-protein diet to […]
Negotiations in a Down Economy: Using an Agenda to Defend Your Price Facing slumping sales and lost deals in a down economy, many sellers wary of losing a deal immediately turn to reducing price. This is the opposite of what you need to happen. It’s during times such as these that it becomes critical to […]
Conference Rooms vs. the Golf Course Often when we are getting ready for an important negotiation, we think about our strategy and what we’re going to say. What we don’t always consider is the location of the negotiation and the impact the environment has on the potential outcome. This effect is called subliminal priming and […]
Overcoming Gender Perceptions In a research study testing influence, participants were shown a series of photos of men and women and asked the question, who do you think is more influential? Across the board, without knowing any additional information, majority of the participants picked the men. While this is mainly due to societal stereotypes that […]