CHAPTER SIXCommunication

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INB 350 LectureBy: Ms. Adina Malik (ALK)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Basic mechanisms for Negotiation Distortions in Communication What is Communicated in Negotiation How People Communicate in Negotiation Communication Channels How to Improve Communication in Negotiation

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COMMUNICATION IN NEGOTIATION

Communication processes, both verbal and nonverbal, are critical to achieving negotiation goals and to resolving conflicts.

Negotiation is a process of interactionNegotiation is a context for communication subtleties that influence processes and outcomes

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COMMUNICATION MECHANISMSCommunication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another and when you break down the art of negotiation, it's really about communication. It's about connecting and ultimately the art of compromise.

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BASIC MODELS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is an activity that occurs between two people: a sender and a receiverA sender has a meaning in mind and encodes this meaning into a message that is transmitted to a receiverA receiver provides information about how the message was received and by becoming a sender and responding to, building on, or rebutting the original message (processes referred to as “feedback”)

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DISTORTION IN COMMUNICATION

1. Senders and receivers The more diverse their goals or the more antagonistic

they are in their relationship, the greater the likelihood that distortions and errors in communication will occur

2. Transmitters and receptors The choice of transmitter can affect outcomes

Some messages may be better spoken, others written Poor eyesight, faulty hearing, etc. diminish the ability

of a receiver to receive a message accurately

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DISTORTION IN COMMUNICATION3. Messages

The symbolic forms by which information is communicated The more we use symbolic communication, the more likely

the symbols may not accurately communicate the meaning we intend

4. Encoding The process by which messages are put into symbolic form Senders are likely to encode messages in a form which

receivers may not prefer

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DISTORTION IN COMMUNICATION

5. Channels The conduits by which messages are carried from one party

to another Messages are subject to distortion from channel noise or

various forms of interference

6. Decoding The process of translating messages from their symbolic

form into a form that makes sense When people speak different languages, decoding involves

higher degrees of error

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DISTORTION IN COMMUNICATION7. Meanings

The facts, ideas, feelings, reactions, or thoughts that exist within individuals and act as filters for interpreting the decoded messages

Those filters can introduce distortions

8. Feedback The process by which the receiver reacts to the sender’s

message Absence of feedback can contribute to significant

distortions Feedback can distort communication by influencing the

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WHAT IS COMMUNICATED DURING NEGOTIATION?

Five different categories of communication that take place during negotiation:Offers, counteroffers, and motivesInformation about alternativesInformation about outcomesSocial accountsCommunication about process

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OFFERS, COUNTEROFFERS & MOTIVES Negotiators motivation explains their preferences and has powerful

influence on the negotiation’s outcomeAssumptions: Communication of offers is a dynamic process The offer process is interactive Various internal and external factors drive the interaction

Thus offer-counter-offer process is dynamic and interactive, and subject to situational and environmental constraints

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INFORMATION ABOUT ALTERNATIVESKnowing your BATNA allows you to determine whether the outcome of your negotiation is a success.Research substantiated that- parties possessing attractive BATNA set higher reservation price parties possessing weaker BATNA set lower reservation pointIf both the parties are aware about each others BATNA the potential for reaching more positive negotiation outcome increases.

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INFORMATION ABOUT OUTCOMES Negotiators feels less positive about their outcome if they found

out that the other negotiator had done better

Thus negotiators should be cautious about sharing their outcomes or even their positive reactions to outcomes with other party ,

especially if they want to pursue long- term relationship

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SOCIAL ACCOUNTSSocial accounts have been identified as communications that can mitigate the negative impact of unfavorable outcomes

Negotiators need to explain things to other party especially when the need to justify bad news.

Explanations of mitigating circumstancesExplanations of exonerating circumstancesReframing explanations 6-14

COMMUNICATION ABOUT PROCESSDuring negotiation communication could also be directed towards the process, for exampleIf opponents are pursuing hardball tactics then parties could directly call attention towards their contentious actions and explicitly label it as counterproductive

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HOW PEOPLE COMMUNICATE IN NEGOTIATION Use of language: language operates at two levels

Logical level (proposals, offers) Pragmatic level (semantics, syntax, style)

Researchers identified five linguistic dimensions of making threats-

Use of polarized language Conveyance of verbal immediacy Degree of language intensity Degree of lexical diversity Extent of high/low power language style

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HOW PEOPLE COMMUNICATE IN NEGOTIATION As suggested by the researchers threats could be made more

credible and more compelling by negatively polarized description of the other party and their position, high immediacy, high intensity, high lexical diversity and a distinctive high power style

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HOW PEOPLE COMMUNICATE IN NEGOTIATION Use of nonverbal communication: it is also known as

attending behaviors Making eye contact: it’s a way to show that you are paying

attention, however, this perception differs across culture Adjusting body position Nonverbally encouraging or discouraging what the other

says: face to face interaction stimulate rapport which in turn enhances coordination and led to higher joint gains.

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COMMUNICATION CHANNEL SELECTION

People can communicate through variety of communication media. Face- to-Face InteractionTelephoneWritingElectronic ChannelsCommunication is experienced differently when it occurs through different channels

Key variation that distinguishes one communication channel from another is social presence.

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COMMUNICATION CHANNEL SELECTION Face- to-Face Interaction: In F2F negotiation interacting parties could more easily

develop personal rapport Social clues are communicated more easily compared to

other channels Research showed that in F2F communication negotiators are

more inclined to disclose information more truthfully, increasing their ability to attain mutual gain

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COMMUNICATION CHANNEL SELECTION

Telephone:Negotiating on the telephone is generally far less satisfying

than F2F communication. We are deprived of the opportunity to observe the social cues of the people with whom we are negotiating.

Telephone negotiation is often most effective when it is a follow-up to in person conversations.

Nonetheless, negotiating on the telephone is more satisfying than doing so using letters, faxes, or email. At least on the telephone we can hear if someone is hesitating, we can listen for the tone of their voice.

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COMMUNICATION CHANNEL SELECTIONIn order to negotiate effectively on the telephone we need to consider a few rules that also apply to face-to-face negotiation1.We should be well-prepared. It is a good idea to have a clear sense, or at least informed assumptions, about what interests are most important to ourselves and the person with whom we are negotiating. Doing a good job of homework can be crucial.2.One of the worst things about telephone negotiation, and negotiation in general, is when we forget to pay attention to particular points.

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COMMUNICATION CHANNEL SELECTION3. One crucial rule of negotiation, to Listen Actively, is

particularly important in telephone negotiations since sound is the only medium of communication involved.

4. Don't let the immediacy of a telephone call force you into fast, unwise decisions.

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COMMUNICATION CHANNEL SELECTION

Written Communication Written communication convey less social clues than the

other two channels However, one’s choice of words and the way they are

arranged can certainly convey tone, in formality and emotion Additionally, Written communications may have gone

through several drafts, which helps to “level the playing field”; telephone conversations are less likely to follow a carefully-crafted script.

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COMMUNICATION CHANNEL SELECTION Electronic Channels: The use of network mediated information technologies in

negotiation is referred as Virtual Negotiation E-mail is another form of written communication that happens to

involve electronic transmission In E-mail people could also use text based emoticons to convey

emotional social cues in the message

There is evidence that negotiation through written channels is more likely to end in impasse

There is also evidence that e-mail negotiators reach agreements that are more equal than F2F negotiators

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FOUR BIASES THAT THREATEN E-MAIL NEGOTIATIONS

1. Temporal synchrony bias Tendency for negotiators to behave as if they are in a

synchronous situation when they are not2. Burned bridge bias

Tendency to do risky things during e-mail that would not be used in a face-to-face encounter

3. Squeaky wheel bias Tendency to use a negative emotional style

4. Sinister attribution bias Overlooking the role of situational factors

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HOW TO IMPROVECOMMUNICATION IN NEGOTIATION Use of questions: two basic categories

Manageable Cause attention or prepare the other person’s thinking

for further questions: “May I ask you a question?”

getting information “How much will this cost?”

generating thoughts “Do you have any suggestions for improving this?”

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HOW TO IMPROVECOMMUNICATION IN NEGOTIATION

Use of questions: two basic categories Unmanageable questions

Cause difficulty “Where did you get that dumb idea?”

Give information “Didn’t you know we couldn’t afford this?”

Bring the discussion to a false conclusion “Don’t you think we have talked about this enough?”

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HOW TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION IN NEGOTIATION Listening: three major forms

1. Passive listening: Receiving the message while providing no feedback to the sender

2. Acknowledgment: Receivers nod their heads, maintain eye contact, or interject responses

3. Active listening: Receivers restate or paraphrase the sender’s message in their own language

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HOW TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION IN NEGOTIATION Role reversal

Negotiators understand the other party’s positions by actively arguing these positions until the other party is convinced that he or she is understood

Impact and success of the role-reversal technique1. Effective in producing cognitive changes and

attitude changes2. When the positions are compatible, likely to

produce acceptable results; when the positions are incompatible, may inhibit positive change

3. Not necessarily effective overall as a means of inducing agreement between parties

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SPECIAL COMMUNICATION CONSIDERATIONS AT THE CLOSE OF NEGOTIATIONS Avoiding fatal mistakes

Keeping track of what you expect to happen Systematically guarding yourself against self-serving

expectations Reviewing the lessons from feedback for similar decisions

in the future

Achieving closure Avoid surrendering important information needlessly Refrain from making “dumb remarks”

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