How do you negotiate successfully?
Coalition negotiations between the CDU/CSU and SPD begin today. Time is pressing, as the new government needs to be formed quickly.
Author: Thorsten Hofmann, C4 Institute, Quadriga University Berlin
Thorsten Hofmann leads the CfN (Center for Negotiation) at the Quadriga University Berlin’s Institute for Crisis, Change and Conflict Communication C4. He is an internationally certified Negotiation Trainer and advises corporations and organisations in complex negotiation processes.
Body language in negotiations: influence, strategies and limitations of non-verbal communication
Negotiations are not just about words. The way we stand, look, gesticulate or use our voice often influences our counterpart more than the actual content of what we say. But which signals have the greatest influence? Which ones can we control deliberately, and which ones are unconscious? And are there situations in which body language alone is not enough to improve the outcome of a negotiation?
Affect Labeling: Defusing dangerous emotions in negotiations
Sound familiar? You’re in a negotiation, the other person is getting louder and louder, the arguments are colliding – and suddenly you realize that the situation is escalating. Emotions are boiling over, and logic has completely disappeared. The air crackles with tension, and you wonder how you actually ended up here.
Set the agenda – for more control in negotiations!
Crucial negotiations can arise regularly: contracts need to be concluded, prices re-set and conditions adjusted. Whether you are talking about long-term contracts, discounts or delivery conditions – a well-thought-out agenda is the first tactical measure for negotiating success.
Those who argue lose – really?
Do you also encounter viewpoints in negotiations that seem completely incomprehensible to you? A position or demand that makes you wonder, “How can anyone believe such a thing in the face of the actual facts?” Surely you can think of an example right away.
“Fallacious truths”: How negotiations work in the brain
Many people perceive things as “true” in negotiations that are often not based on facts but on prejudices or assumptions, creating a “fallacious truth”. This leads to emotionalized decisions. Modern brain research explains why this is particularly dangerous in negotiations.
Your Anchor Phrase Against Psychological Tricks
Negotiations can often become a psychological test of strength. Perhaps you are familiar with this as well. Unfair psychological tricks, the use of authority and personal pressure can cause stress and put you on the defensive. You lose control of the negotiation.
Asking questions – but how?
We love talking in negotiations: about us, what we want, why we want it and even more about how the other side’s desires are nonsense. However, on the other side of the table sits the source of information that I can use to improve my outcome. I just have to get the source to bubble.
Why a “why” can be helpful
We are all natural born questioners as children. We keep asking and asking and take nothing for granted. An ability that many of us have forgotten in adulthood.
The mindset of top negotiators
The success of a negotiation is largely based on psychology. This is nothing new.