Lesson 21: The Structure of Negotiation


Part 1: The Beginning

As we had talked about last time, the purpose of this stage is to get to know about your opponent’s.

So, in a meeting that involves negotiation, you can start off by welcoming your opponents.

· On behalf of________________, I would like to welcome you to _________________________.
· It’s my pleasure to welcome you to __________________.
· Welcome to ____________________.
· We are here today to ______________________________.
· The main objective / purpose of today’s meeting is ______________.
· We are looking to achieve ___________________________.


Distributing the roles:

· __________________is going to take minutes.
· _____________________would like to say a few words about_________________________.


Suggesting a procedure:

· I would like to begin by suggesting the following procedures (agenda).
· We have drawn up an agenda.
· Let’s just run through the agenda.
· There are _____________items on the agenda.
· I would like to take ______________first.
· We will deal with ______________first.
· We have put _______________last.
· Let’s leave _____________________until later.
· We can table that for discussion later.
· We will deal with ______________first.
· We will go round table.
· We aim to deal with item _____________.
· We aim to cover item ________________.
· We will have a question and answer period / session in the end.
· To start with, I think we should establish the overall procedure.
· As our first order of business, can we agree on a procedure?

Timing:

· That gives us __________hours.
· It will take _______hours.
· It won't take long.
· I need to be away by _______o'clock.
· How are you fixed for time?


Tip: Make sure that you check it with your opponent.

Checking for agreement:

· Does that fit in with your objectives?
· Is that compatible with what you would like to see?
· Does that seem acceptable to you?
· Is there anything that you would like to change?
· Is this okay with you?

NOTE Use of we/let's rather than I/you.
Where possible, it's more inclusive to say We'd like to... (rather than I'd like to...) or, Let's start by talking about ... (rather than I'd like to start by talking about...). Certainly if you are a member of a team, use we rather than I.


If both parties have different views about the agenda, then you will need to negotiate the agenda before moving onto the real discussion…

· Let's just identify the key issues.
· Shall we look at______________ first?
· Perhaps we should consider ______________ first?
· We see two/three important issue____________. Would you agree?
· If I understand correctly, you're interested in___________________


Before moving on to the discussion or the real negotiation, you would like to invite your opponents to interrupt if it is necessary.

· Please don’t hesitate to interrupt.
· Please feel free to ask questions.
· Let's deal with any questions immediately.
· I/We would like to know what you think.



Part 2: Into the Discussion

Then, we will move on to the discussion, which is talking and introducing the items on the agenda. This stage is very similar to meeting.

· I would now like to hand over to _______________, who is …
· I will now hand the floor over to _____________,who is….
· Now let me hand the meeting over to my colleague, _________________, who is…..


When the person is presenting, he or she may want to go back and review the previous session…

· At our last meeting, we discussed…..
· Perhaps you will recall our last discussion, we decided that…..
· Any questions from the last discussion?


Then you can move on to the next point:

· Can we now move on to the next subject, which is…..
· Let’s go on to the next subject, shall we?


During the presentation, opposition may sometimes interrupt, such as…

· May I ask please, what your proposal is in connection with our company?
· What in general terms are you looking for here?


If you do not want to be interrupted, you can say…

· May we leave that till later and first look at…
· Can we deal with_______________ first.
· Can I come back to that later?


If everything goes smoothly, you can move on to proposal after your presentation:


Remember to ask questions if you need something to be clarified.

General:
· I would be interested to know more about.
· Could you tell us something about…..?

Clarification:
· What exactly do you mean by…..?
· Could you be more specific…..?
· Could you clarify one point for me?
· I’m not sure I fully understand your point.

Checking and reviewing:
· So, you are saying…..?
· If I understand correctly, you are offering…..?
· Am I right in thinking your plan to…..?


As a presenter, you can….

Define a proposal more specifically:

· It involves…..
· It covers…..
· It includes…..
· It leaves out…..

And you can reassure the others by saying:

· Let me reassure you that…..
· I can promise you that…..
· Have no doubt that we will…..


For the opposition party, you can express your opinion about the proposal by supporting it or opposing it.


Proposal, recommendation & suggestion (strong)
· I strongly recommend that…..
· I suggest most strongly that…..
· I advise you most strongly to…..
· In my view, the only viable solution is …..


Proposal, recommendation & suggestion (neutral)
· I propose that…..
· My proposal is that…..


Proposal, recommendation & suggestion (tentative)
· I would propose that…..
· If I may make a suggestion, we could…..
· I would like to put forward a proposal that…..
· I wonder if I may suggest…..
· Wouldn’t it be a good idea to…..?
· Wouldn’t it be better to…..?


The opponent party in reverse can…..

Express total support:
· I am in favor of…
· I would certainly give my backing to…..
· I would certain endorse such a proposal.
· I see no objection to that.
· I would not be opposed to that.

Express partial support:
· My initial reaction is favorable, but…
· With certain reservations, I would support your proposal.
· I shouldn’t like you to think that I’m necessarily against this in any way, but I cannot help wondering…

Express total opposition:
· I am totally opposed to the proposal.
· I see no valid reason for supporting the proposal.
· Frankly, I think that’s out of the question.
· I’m afraid this proposal leaves a great deal to be desired.

Express opposition:
· I am opposed to the proposal.
· I’m afraid I cannot support the proposal.
· As it stands, I would not be able to give it my backing.
· Without substantial changes, I cannot give the proposal my support.

Express tentative opposition:
· On the fact of it, this seems quite a good suggestion, but…
· I can see many problems in adopting this.
· I’m not sure the proposal is feasible.
· This proposal is likely to present difficulties.
· I am not convinced that this proposal is really worthwhile.


A note on language style:

English speakers, especially Americans, like to express a certain amount of informality as soon as possible. Therefore, we quickly move to first names (although this is NOT a sign of intimacy or friendship). In addition, we quickly begin to use informal language. These facts are intended to signal cooperation among equal partners.

At the same time that we are moving toward informality in order to signal a willingness to cooperate, it is important to maintain an atmosphere of respect. How can we do this when using first names and informal expressions? We show respect in English in the following ways.


Use would like rather than want when making requests. It's more indirect and, therefore, is more polite and respectful.

I want to hear you talk about that first point again. (This could sound too much like a demand.)

I would like to hear you talk about that first point again. (This is safer.)


Use "should", "could", or "might" to remind or inform people about what to do next. Without such words, you could sound too much like a teacher or a policeman.

Use phrases like "I think" and "maybe" and "perhaps" to introduce suggestions. These words do not indicate uncertainty; they do express respect for the other person.

It's time to start the meeting now. (This COULD sound too authoritarian.)

I think we should start the meeting now. (This is safer.)

I'll give you some background information about that. (This is okay if your VOICE sounds helpful.)

Perhaps I could give you some background information about that. (This is safer.)


Use QUESTIONS to make suggestions. Keep in mind, however, that you are not asking for permission, but you are showing the other person respect by giving him or her a chance to disagree or interrupt before you go on.

So, can we go on to the next point now?

So, are we finished with that point? If so, let's go on to the next one.

NOTE: The better you get to know someone, the less important these strategies become. People who know each other well (and who respect each other) can be much more direct in saying what they want and what they think.


Activity:

Match the statements with the appropriate stages in negotiation.

1. The beginning
2. The exchange of proposals
3. The problem-solving stage
4. The finish


Grammar:

Give back exercise 3.2 and 17.3 and go over them with exercise 21.1

Continue with past prefect tense and past perfect continuous tense.