Photocopiable activi Quiz: Are you a good negotiator? Reading 1 Work in pairs. Discuss your answers to these questions to find out whether you're good negotiators. When I negotiate, | try to get what I want, but I also try to make sure the other side goes away happy too. A Never B Sometimes € Always 2 How do you feel about the people you're negotiating with? A Ic helps if I like dieu as people B [ try to keep personal feelings out of my working life. C They're the enemy: I have to defeat them. When I enter a negotiation, | like to get down to business straight away. A It depends on the nationality of the people I'm negotiating with B I'm a bucy percon, and time ic money C Life's to be enjoyed, so let’s make a day of it 4 In negotiations, I'm more s A Iset my sights high. jccessful if B I'm ready to compromise when we can't make progress, C [break off the negotiation when | really dan't like the deal an offer negotiating. who presents their demands fir A Me. B My opposite nur C Wet ake it in turns. 6 When I neg A aggressive, though it’s not my normal character. B the same as [ normally am. C naturally aggressive. te, Lam 7 Before a negotiation A [ prepare thoroughly. B I make a few brief notes. C L get on with other work and in the negotiation, I play it by ear. What's your attitude to honesty in a negotiation? A I'm ccrupulously honest at all time: B I'll tell a lie if it helps me get what I want ~ all’s fair in love and war. C [never actually tell a lie, but I might keep quiet about something if it’s to ny advantage. 2 Calculate your scores by reading below. 1A2 BB Ca IF you're negotiating with someone who you're going to have a long-term relationship with, It’s a good idea to make the other side happy too ~ the classic win-win situation, But there are often times when you're negotiating with someone you're never going to see again, so you might as well get as much as you can and not worry about the consequences for the other side, UNIT 8 Com Bustoas onal agety Guy Brack Har © Combrdge Unversy Poss 5 EOE 51Photocopiable activity 1 Qui Are you a good negotiator 2A8 BO Cl ‘There's inure to life than work and making money. Persanal relationships do matter, and there's ‘nn paint in going around making enemies unnecessarily. 38 B2 C6 You have to adapt to the people you're working wi h, In some cultures, business people like to get to know you before dning business with vou, and you have to respect this. In other cultures, business people like to get straight down to work, and perhaps to relax together afterwards 4A8 B4 C4 All studies of negotiation technique show that negotiators get more if they have high expectations, However, negotiation, by its nature, requires flexibility and the ability to compromise. On the other hand, if the deal they otter 1s below your bowou line, you shouldn’t be frightened of Lieaking off the negotiation: you run a business, nat a charity. 5A2 RR C3 Knowledge is power. Find out as much as possible about what your opposite number wants before you say anything - you may be able to manipulate the negotiation to your arivantage. GA2 Be C8 Be yourself and you'll do just about everything in life well. 7A8 B4 CO We've all busy people, but negotiating is an important part of the job, and the better you prepare, the better you'll doit. I's surprising just how many business people go into meetings and negotiations with little or no previous preparation. A3 BS CS ‘This is a difficult one: we all like to think that honesty is the best policy, but if you get a reputation for scrupulous honesty at all times, other negotiators are going to run rings aro you, On the other hand, if you get a reputation fur lying, no one will want to negotiate with you because they won't trust you - the hest policy is really to keep quiet rather than reveal sensitive information or tell an outright lie If you scored 45-64 You're clearly a great neg should take plenty of money for your company and far yonrsel. tiator: you've thought about it a lot and you've had plenty of practice. You If you scored 29-44 Negotiating can be one of the most stressful areas of business, but it’s something that almost anyone can learn to do. So why not do a courses If you scored 16-28 Neg tion is a business skill which can be learnt by going on courses and with practice. With plenty of time and hard work, you can become very succe Vocabulary Find words or phrases in the quiz which mean the following. 1 start working (question 3) 6 improvise (quection 7) spend the day doing it (question 3) 7 completely (question 8) 3 fix high objectives (question 4) 8. start immediately (ans 1 reach an agreement which involves accepting less than 9 your lowest acceptable position (answer 4) you wanted (question 4) 10 he more successful than you (answer 8) 5 stop. interrupt (question 4) LL direct (answer 52 ct am perinermineNenage by CAAT TT a He TTS — |Photocopiable acti Negotiating skills Getting started Discuss in groups: What type uf peisuut is best at negotlating: someone who Is aggressive, or someone who ger co-operative Reading Read the text and choose the best answer - A, B, C or D - for questions 1-6. What's your best offer? Legal Studies Professor G. Richard Shell has published Wharton's first book on the subject of negotiation: Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People. (ne ofthe most important lesons Shell has estes the use of strategies which sul the types he notes. ‘Because compeive pe ard from yearsof research and teaching, actual situation use i acing, athe than ple don't mind cot they have an aan is that virtually everyone hs the ability 10 always using ibe same strategies. lage over somenne who doesn ei it avec megan, The key, he S48, Shel emphasizes Tur Key Personal tacts “Bat eompetiive people often lack isto bud onthe sks y rater than trying 1 your resus, regardless of a basically co-operative The he racer Goron compete neon, Tee farsa yn te MOB. ange in ay tin fl cn eal ni as ek ey sow nh hy ual ol ati a re Shel talon ithe ratalsyle”expecaton (becase pope who exp ne yours Selectman tant mew gi tenn fan Yi bate eae peso oes ‘gaining’ to describe his approach to negoti- (because this allows you to learn what the 2h other. I's wher =n a. I! focuses on acquiring information in other side wants); and a commitment io 'YPES mix that things get diffcul: thee ways: solid preparation before bar- personal integrity (which gains you credi- ANd what does Shell recommend 10 wiley was, an atertonta So hat kn of esa sthebes peg Wit aes aig egpatn couse the gusta he erry sn eut_ (Thee sno ‘iple ase, shel hs s¥c poner exprene ess. "ba rough his or bee behaviour dung th pliatng proces. I's also important to fe that information based bargaining leamed over the yeas. Co 1 According to Shell, who are the most effective negotiator A People who are naturally aggressive B People who imprave ahilities they already have. C People who learn to be aggressive. D People who do training courses, 2. What is one of the featuree of information based 5 bargaining? A The strategies you use depend on the B There are a fixed set of strategies which you will always use, © itis a stresstul process. 6 D You needn’t prepare for the negotiation in advance. 3 Which key personal factor is generally neglected? 4 Preparation © Taking time to listen B Objectives D Honesty una (Gram Business Benchmark Upper ered ve the upper hand, ho. se age ae ana by Cy Brook Han © Cras User Press TE 4. Why. accarding ta Shell, da campatitive people have an advantage at first? A ‘They like winning B They intimidate other types of people. C Disagreement does not upset them: D They have years of practice. When is negotiation prublematict ‘A When competitive people are involved. B When people have different objectives. © when there 1s contlict in the negotiation. D When the negotiators have different types of personality. What is the best way to improve your negotiation skills, according to Shell? A By reading books about it B By doing it on a training course © By changing your character. D By not getting nervous about it 53