Do's and Don'ts of Negotiation

Abhishek Jain
A2305210201

Topic: Do's and Don'ts of Negotiations

A negotiation is a dialog between two people or parties, intended to reach an understanding in outcome of dialogue to produce an agreement upon course of action. There are many do's and don'ts of negotiation which should be adhered to strictly to ensure a healthy and favourable outcome.

The do's are:

1) Speak politely:
Whatever be the case, the negotiation must be carried out in a peaceful manner. Whatever one has to say, should be said politely and with respect for the other person\party. If one doesn't stay polite during the negotiation and raises his/her voice, it may lead to a very unsuccessful negotiation for both the parties. Emotions like anger and dislike can result in the other person if the negotiation is not carried out in a polite manner.

2) Listen before you speak:
Before presenting out point of view, we must make it a habit to first listen to what the other person has to say. Only then can we present our case strongly and fairly in front of him\her. If we don't listen to and understand what the other party has to say, then how can we present a just argument to counter him/her. It's only possible to think of a logical and favourable way out of a negotiation if we listen, not just hear, before we speak.

3) Do your research:
One of the most important aspects of negotiation is to come prepared for it. Before appearing for the scheduled negotiation, we must first do our homework and research about the topic of the presentation in order to better understand the situation. Only if we understand the situation behind the negotiation can we effectively produce arguments against it.

4) Be prepared to walk away:
Finally, if none of the above strategies seem to work and the negotiation seems to be drifting away from our advantage, it is always a possibility, and a rather recommendable one, to just walk out of the talk; leave the game; neither win nor lose. It's always smart to just walk away from a negotiation if we can't win it. Atleast, we won't lose.


The don'ts are:

1) Don't appear needy:
Never should one give away the slightest hint of being needy, even if indeed he/she is needy. If the other person detects that we have a strong need to finish the negotiation in order to acquire the service, product or whatever it is that the negotiation is being done for, then it becomes very difficult to turn the tide back in our favour.

2 Don't take it personally:
A negotiation is a business conversation between two or more willing participants. It should never be taken personally. Winning or losing the negotiation is just good or bad business. No personal grudges should be formed against the person who defeats us in the negotiation. He/she just had better negotiating skills and can surely be won over next time with better preparation.

3) Avoid words like 'between', 'we are close' etc

4) Stop story telling
One should not beat about the bush and should just stick to the topic of the negotiation. Story telling makes the talk long, boring and confusing for the other party. It may even lead to cancellation of the negotiation if the other party mistakes the story telling for lack of confidence or unwillingness.