Role of Communication in Negotiation

Communication plays an important role in negotiation.

What is negotiation ?

Negotiation is nothing but a discussion among individuals to reach to an alternative which would satisfy all.

How is an effective discussion possible ? Only through 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.

Ben wanted to purchase a pen for himself. He was not very convinced with the price the shopkeeper quoted and found it a little too high. Ben wanted him to reduce the price of the pen. Unfortunately Ben lagged good communication skills and whatever he spoke only confused the shopkeeper. He kept on cribbing and pleading which further irritated the shopkeeper and he refused to further entertain Ben.

What was Ben’s mistake ?

Ben wanted to buy the pen, but his only mistake was he did not speak in a convincing manner. Had he spoken clearly and explained the shopkeeper as to why the price of the pen should be a litter lesser than what he had quoted, the pen would have been his. In this case the negotiation was not a fruitful one as no body gained anything.

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.

Please go through the below example for a better clarity:

If you come across a person who is nervous, sweating unnecessarily and fiddling with things around, will you entertain such a person?

Obviously No.

The same happens with the other party also. If they come to know that you are nervous, they would definitely try to sit on your head and the deal would never be in your favour. Don’t express your helplessness to anyone. You might need the job badly but don’t let the other person know about it. Be very confident and show a positive attitude. Whenever you are going for a negotiation, don’t forget to carry your smile.

Flash your million dollar smile but don’t laugh unnecessarily or crack silly jokes in between. Exchange greetings and compliments to break the ice.Sit straight, don’t lean on the chair and do make an eye contact with the person sitting on the other side of the table. It shows your confidence and strong will power. Don’t play with things kept on the table. Concentrate on the negotiation and don’t look here and there.

Negotiation is no rocket science. You just have to be very clear about your expectations and interests; express the same clearly, convince the other party and come to something acceptable to both.

Don’t speak anything which might hurt the other person. Be very polite in your speech, involve everyone in the discussion and decide in the favour of all the participants for an effective negotiation.