Roleof Communication and Personality in Negotiation
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Roleof Communication and Personality in Negotiation
Negotiationrefers to a discussion among parties to achieve an alternative thatis satisfactory to both participants. The capacity to negotiate is avaluable skill to any employer. Additionally, communication is amajor factor and is essential in cases of convincing, diplomacy andthe proficiency to come up with alternative solutions or outcomes.Occasionally, people learn to negotiate so as to attain the bestresolution pertaining to a conflict. Sometimes individuals avoidnegotiating because they believe it is a hassle. This paper willcentrally analyze the role of communication and personality in bothsuccessful and unsuccessful negotiation.
Thetwo different types of negotiation are integrative bargaining anddistributive negotiation. Integrative bargaining is also referred toa win-win situation. Here, there is a collaboration so as to attainsomething as a group. It entails trust plus formation of arelationship. Essentially, both accomplices walk away feelingsatisfied. The process entails a mixture of value for value. Thisform of negotiation encompasses multiple issues, sharing,problem-solving as well as bridge building (Walton,Cutcher-Gershenfeld & McKersie, 2010). An instance that displaysrole of communication and personality in a successful win-winnegotiation is as follows, Denis wanted to purchase a laptop from anoutlet. He negotiated with the vendor to reduce the price. In thefirst place, the seller was reluctant, thereupon persuasion andvarious rounds of discussions, he adjusted the price that would suitDaniel as well as himself. Thus, Denis was satisfied since he did notexhaust his money whereas the vendor made a profit too. In this case,the shopkeeper gained customer loyalty as Denis might come in futureto make purchases.
Distributivenegotiation is frequently referred to as a fixed pie or win-lose.Distributive negotiation entails individuals that have neverinteracted rather, they are dubious about future negotiations forinstance purchasing a vehicle. Distributive bargaining is oftenexperienced in business arena where products as well as services arepurchased. This form of negotiation seeks to give insufficientinformation to the other party. Further it only exhibits informationconcerning alternative options (Clements, Donnellan & Read,2014). An instance where distributive bargaining failed due tounsuccessful communication and personality in negotiation is where,Mark went to a dealer to purchase a bicycle, unfortunately, and theprice was too high. He tried to convince the dealer to reduce theprice, nevertheless, due to his poor communication skills, heconfused the vendor. He consistently pleaded and cribbed, whichirritated the vendor, and he declined to attend to him (Moffitt &Bordone, 2015).
Thesuccessful negotiation was useful because the individual was crisp aswell as precise in his speech. Secondly, he listened actively to thevendor he empathized with the vendor while trying to understand hisposition and vice versa. The pitch and tone were right since theyultimately expressed politeness and decency. The parties were relaxedwhile being open minded (Clements, Donnellan & Read, 2014).Notably, their body posture also played a role since nonverbal cuesare necessary for the negotiation process. Finally, the terms andconditions were clearly specified thus paving a way for successfulnegotiation.
Theother negotiation was unsuccessful because the buyer’s speech wasnot convincing. Had he spoke openly, the dealer would have sold himthe bicycle. In this case, the vendor was also impatient.Consequently, both parties lost. I suggest that in future, for such anegotiation to be successful, both parties need to be clear, listenand understand each other’s position and come up with the bestalternative where both sides will gain.
Astriking personality corresponds with good communication for avaluable negotiation. A pleasant personality is a key to negotiation.Personality plays the following roles in the forms mentioned above ofnegotiation. Following negotiations, an individual must try to behimself. Nobody is to pretend at any instance, if one is dissatisfiedwith the deal, then he has to be open and speak out. Normally andrelaxation is the secrets. Secondly, sincerity is required ratherthan being serious. Individuals should avoid causality, preparationbefore negotiation is essential. By this, I mean thorough research iscrucial for effective negotiation (Moffitt & Bordone, 2015). Thereason for negotiation should be clear to the buyer, materials thatreflect the item need to be carried to the platform for furtherreference. Honesty is another personality cue. For instance, Denisknew how much the laptop sells in other shops as he had conductedresearch nevertheless, it was unnecessary for him to lie to thevendor that it cost less so that the shopkeeper could reduce theprice. The shopkeeper is not a fool because he maintains records ofamounts that correspond to other shops selling laptops.
Thebest thing to undertake is to request for discounts if possibleinstead of price reduction (Clements, Donnellan & Read, 2014).Decency regarding dressing is a must for negotiations (Walton,Cutcher-Gershenfeld & McKersie, 2010). Dressing is crucial as itenhances the personality. It may prove difficult for a person toconvince another if he is shabbily dressed. For example, if thelaptop vendor were shabbily dressed, then Denis would not even thinkof negotiating with him. Patience is also needed since impatientpersons are poor in negotiating. For example, Mark proved anxious ashe started cribbing and shouting at the dealer, loss of temper makesnegotiation in futile (Walton, Cutcher-Gershenfeld & McKersie,2010). Flexibility and compromise is a must. Selfishness is condemnedto give priority to other individual’s interests. In our case, thelaptop vendor was concerned with Denise’s interest and he allowed alower price that benefited both.
Communicationaffected the outcomes of the negotiations in the following manner.The first result was successful because the negotiators adhered toverbal cues. The prompts include low tones, listening carefully andactively without interrupting as well as seeking to understand theother party. Additionally, the communication was open-ended, suchthat a lot of information dealing with the product was revealedgiving the other party alternative options. Lastly, preparation of aningredient of communication was effected (Moffitt & Bordone,2015). Denis came prepared for the negotiation, he knew his objectivein the negotiation and listed the points of arguments he will presentduring the negotiation. He also noted the things that he mightcompromise in the negotiation. Eventually, communication played anessential role in affecting the negotiation process.
Theinnumerable ways in which the negotiator may attempt to effect theother party includes having knowledge pertaining to the people andtheir interests. These relevant facts will enable the negotiator toaffect the decision of others. These individuals will then build acapability of listening, empathizing and communicating effectivelywith the negotiator. He will be able to make effective agreements.Additionally, the negotiator needs to be aware of the culturaldifference in his surroundings (Walton, Cutcher-Gershenfeld &McKersie, 2010). His power to influence will also be elevated byhaving a good working relationship with his people. Theserelationships are important as they build trust and enhance effectivecommunication. Another different ways of exerting influence is viadeveloping a reputation for candor as well as honesty. A negotiatorwho has knowledge about the point of view that the other part ispresenting is in a position of communicating persuasively, withnegligible misunderstanding (Clements, Donnellan & Read, 2014).Inasmuch as facts and ideas are crucial in changing another person’sperception as well as opinion, the effectiveness of persuasion relieson how these facts and ideas are chosen and presented. Markedly, thenegotiators must make an attractive offer to the other group andemphasize the features of the offer so that the other party finds itattractive. Negotiators should come up with a proposal to which theother party will consider. The consideration will reduce tension andhostility thereby paving way for agreements.
Fromthe abovementioned example, the best way to exert influence isthrough building trust. Trust is essential to the success of anyrelationship (Walton, Cutcher-Gershenfeld & McKersie,2010).Negotiations are shaped by the natural disposition of theparties engaged to either trust or distrust the other. Breach ofconfidence is condemned as it will drastically affect negotiations.
Theformulated strategy that builds trust and improves negotiations basedon relationship entails the following. Conflict management: a goodworking relationship does not imply absence of conflict. Despite theeffective planning, conflict will present itself (Moffitt &Bordone, 2015). A conflict management process should be developed toensure that both parties collaborate to diagnose the wrong and searchfor a solution. In cases where the agreement is not attained, theparties should employ constructive and collaborative solution thatensures win-win situation thereby preserving therelationship.Secondly, establishment of relationship due diligence:here, management issues, potential risk that will affect therelationship are identified (Walton, Cutcher-Gershenfeld &McKersie, 2010). Then ways of overcoming these risks are sought.Another element of the strategy is negotiation preparation andlaunch: Preparation is a must for effective negotiation. Theindividual’s priority, position and trade off should be clear. Theroles and responsibilities of both parties should also be listed.Agreement on the process of negotiation and management of executionis essential. Finally, internal alignment process is crucial. Arelationship manager should be appointed in order to ascertain thatthe executive communicates decisions to both parties, providingrational while supporting evidence.
Tosum up, communication and personality are the key practicalnegotiations. Parties should adhere to effective communication skillsduring negotiation so as to get successful outcomes. Further,negotiators should uphold patience, honesty, and precision whilearticulating clearly during negotiations.
References
Clements,S. R., Donnellan, M., & Read, C. (2014). CFOinsights: Achieving high performance through finance business processoutsourcing.Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley.
Moffitt,M. L., & Bordone, R. C. (2015). TheHandbook of Dispute Resolution.New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Walton,R. E., Cutcher-Gershenfeld, J. E., & McKersie, R. B. (2010).Strategicnegotiations: A theory of change in labor-management relations.Ithaca, NY: ILR Press/Cornell University Press.