Conducting a Negotiation - FAQ
Dos and Don’ts:
* Do listen carefully to the other party.
* Do leave enough room for maneuvers in your proposals.
* Do feel free to reject the first offer received.
* Do make conditional offers, such as “If you do this, we’ll do that”.
* Do probe the attitudes of the opposition: “What would be your feeling if …?”
* Don’t make too many concessions at an early stage.
* Don’t make your opening offer so extreme that you lose face if you have to climb down.
* Don’t ever say “never”.
* Don’t answer questions directly with a simple “yes” or “no”.
* Don’t make the opposition look foolish.
- Stress the need for agreement from the outset.
- Begin any negotiations with uncontroversial, general points.
- Listen to a persons’ tone of voice as well as their words.
- Do not start speaking until you have something relevant to say.
- Put forward a proposal with as little emotion as possible.
- Pay close attention to he proposal of the other party.
- Use humor when appropriate, but do not try to be too clever.