Role of Communication, Personality and emotions in Negotiation

Communication

An effective communication is directly proportional to an effective negotiation. The better the communication is the better the negotiation would be. Discussion does not mean fighting and shouting, instead it is simply the exchange of one’s ideas, thoughts and opinions with each other. One needs to have excellent communication skills for a healthy and an effective discussion. Communication is an art and one should master it to excel in all kinds of negotiation. The other person will never come to know about your thoughts and ideas unless and until you share it with them. One can’t see your grey matter. Lot depends on how you speak.

One should very sensibly convert his thoughts into a speech by carefully selecting relevant words. Be careful about your words. One should never use derogatory sentences or fowl words in his speech. Understand the power of speech. The way you present your thought matters a lot. Don’t speak just for the sake of it. Haphazard thoughts and abstract ideas only lead to confusions. One must speak clearly what he expects from the other person. Don’t eat your words and try to confuse others. Your thoughts and ideas must be expressed clearly for others to understand well. Be crisp and precise in your speech.

Effective communication is important in salary negotiations as well. Express your salary expectations clearly in front of the recruiter. If you want your salary to be more than what he has quoted, mention it very clearly but politely. Try your level best to convince the recruiter why you need salary hike and probably how will you justify it once you join the organization. There is nothing to be afraid of; even the organization needs talented people like you. Learn to be a bit tactful. Your style, your accent, your pronunciations are also important. Do lay emphasis on words that you feel are important. If you are not satisfied with the offer, it’s better to decline it but in a very polite way. Remember we all belong to good families and must behave like educated and cultured people.

An effective communication is of prime importance in business deals also. The terms and conditions must be mentioned clearly for better transparency and don’t try to hide anything from the second party. It’s always better to depend on written modes of communication like emails, letters, documents or agreements for better reliability. Use corporate terminologies, professional jargons and never use irrelevant statements in your speech. It is considered highly unprofessional.

One should also be very careful with his pitch and tone. Always remember battles can be won just by being decent and polite. Don’t be rude and harsh on others. Speak slowly and convincingly in a tone audible to one and all. Do not speak either too fast or too slow. The other person must understand your speech. Never be loud or shout on anyone. It’s unethical to speak ill or insult anyone just for a deal. Relationships are more important and must be valued.

Non verbal communication also plays an important role in an effective negotiation. Our facial expressions hand movements, posture matter a lot and must never be ignored.

Personality

Be Patient. It has been observed that impatient individuals are poor negotiators. Don’t think that if you want that the price of a particular item should be $4, the shopkeeper will agree to it immediately and gladly give it to you. You need to convince him and that requires patience. You can’t lose your temper and shout on him.

During negotiations an individual must try to be himself. One should not fake things or pretend to be good. If you are not satisfied with the deal, do not pretend that you are happy. It’s better to raise a concern then and there, rather than crib later. Be normal and relax, things will automatically fall into place.

It’s important to be sincere rather than just being serious. Sincerity is one of the most important personality traits required in negotiation. One has to be sincere for an effective negotiation. Don’t take things casually. Go well prepared for your negotiation. For a business deal, try to study everything related to the deal beforehand. The agenda of the negotiation must be very clear to you. Carry all the related documents which you might require at the time of negotiation. Don’t go just for the sake of it.

Be honest. Don’t fake things. During negotiations, honesty plays an important role. One should never manipulate his salary to get a hike in the next organization. Don’t speak unnecessary lies just for some money. The fear to get caught would always be there and somehow it would reflect on your face as well. Don’t worry; you will definitely get what you deserve.

If you know the laptop costs you xyz amount, don’t go and lie to the shopkeeper that it is much cheaper in the next shop. He is not a fool doing business. Remember even he keeps a check on the price what his fellow shopkeeper is offering. It’s better if you ask for some discounts or probably some additional accessories rather than reducing the price which you know is little difficult for the shopkeeper.

One should go smartly dressed for a negotiation. Our dressing plays an important role in enhancing our personality. A shabbily dressed person will find it very difficult to convince the other person.

Remember the first impression is the last impression and one has to be very careful about it.

Be flexible and learn to compromise. It’s okay to give priority to one’s personal interests but one should not be selfish. If you are the first one to accept something, you will not become unimportant or lose anything, instead the other person would look up to you and both of you will gain whatever you want.

One has to trust the second party for a better negotiation. Don’t always find faults in others. Not all people are bad; there are people who are really good and helpful. One should not always think that the other person would do harm to him. The second party is there just to do business; he is absolutely not your enemy. Don’t just come to the point, start the conversation with a warm smile. If he is wearing a nice shirt, do take the initiative to give him a compliment. Treat him as a friend. One should never be arrogant. He is also representing his company just like you. Order coffee and some snacks. It will help in breaking the ice and strengthening the bond between the two parties. Do remember that one should not be too casual and over friendly.

Be professional in your approach. Once your deal is closed, do sign a contract in presence of both the parties. The minutes of the meeting must be circulated among all the participants for better clarity. Don’t forget to collect your bills from the shopkeeper after you are done with your shopping. Don’t only rely on verbal communication.

Enhance your listening skills for a better negotiation. Listen to the other party as well. He might come up with something interesting and beneficial to you as well. Don’t think that the other person doesn’t know anything; even he has come well prepared. One should never underestimate the second party. If you go for a shopping, don’t ignore the shop keeper, listen to him and then only decide what to purchase and what not to.

Be a little tactful and diplomatic. Being diplomatic does not mean being clever. There is a difference between the two. One needs to be intelligent and should know what to speak and what not to speak. Analyze the situation and respond accordingly. Don’t speak something because your boss has asked you to do the same. Apply your brains and react in an appropriate manner. If you feel your statements would sound foolish in the particular situation, it is better not to speak.

Emotions

If one is in a happy mood, everything seems perfect and good to him. Individuals with a positive attitude tend to trust each other better. They take keen interest in the negotiation and actively participate in discussions. They try their level best to come up with a suggestion and contribute effectively in the discussion. They do not unnecessarily find faults in other people and always try to take things in a positive way. A happy and a positive person would always look forward towards a concrete solution which would benefit him as well as the other party involved. Try to be cheerful always. One looks his best when he smiles.

Anger is one of the most negative emotions acting as a hurdle to an effective negotiation. A person loses control on his mind and is not in a position to think constructively in a state of anger. One’s anger must be kept under control for an effective negotiation. Don’t overreact on petty issues. Anger only leads to conflicts and misunderstandings and does not solve any problem. An individual should learn to keep a control on his tongue. Don’t say anything which might hurt the other person. If you are getting angry on someone, it’s always better to think something pleasant; your anger would soon disappear. Take a pause and think will this anger benefit you?

One needs to be friendly with the second party. Learn to trust him but don’t get too involved in friendships. Everything has a limit and same goes with friendship as well. The other person might expect unnecessary favours from your side.

Friendship should be within a limit; otherwise unrealistic expectations arise which are a little difficult to fulfill.

Negotiations must be with a clear and a tension free mind. A mind clouded with tensions can’t concentrate on anything and eventually one loses focus. An individual’s mind is unable to take any decisions and he finds it difficult to develop an interest in the negotiation. We all know that tensions come uninvited, but it would be wise, if you keep the tensions on the back burner for some time when you are involved in negotiation.

One should be calm and composed. Never lose your cool and shout on the second party.Always ensure that you are comfortable with the second party. Don’t take rash decisions and one should not interfere while the other person is speaking. Always analyze the situation well and then only come to any conclusion. One should try and adopt a step by step approach. Don’t expect the result to come out within a second. Take your time to convince the other party but do not drag the conversation too long. It becomes monotonous and one tends to lose interest.

Don’t stress yourself at the time of negotiation. Relax. Whatever has to happen will definitely happen. Taking stress does not help. It’s better to relax and let things happen on their own. No one will kill you, if you are not able to close the deal, there is always another opportunity. Unnecessary stress makes you feel nervous and you tend to lose your confidence as well.

Take interest in the discussion. Don’t develop a laid back attitude. Be active and participate willingly in the discussion. Don’t sit in the negotiation just because your boss has asked you to do the same. It’s better to express your opinion at the time of negotiation rather than cribbing later. If you are not satisfied with anything, express your displeasure. If you feel you are not prepared for the negotiation; it’s better to postpone it, rather than attending it half-heartedly and messing up things.

Avoid being clever. Don’t try to fool the other person. One should not fake things or manipulate the truth. Tampering data would only add to confusions. Be honest in your dealings. Never underestimate anyone. The second party is also aware of what is happening around you and is well prepared just like you.

Learn to compromise sometimes. An individual must not be too rigid. At times it’s good to take the initiative and be the first one to accept things. One should avoid being adamant.

Being positive always helps. Negative emotions only lead to negativity around and trigger conflicts and misunderstandings among individuals. Fighting till date has never benefited anyone; it simply adds on to one’s tensions and nullifies the effect of negotiation.