第一节 Essencials of english negotiation在线视频

Hello everyone

The purposes of business negotiation

are to obtain a complete understanding between the parties involved

and elicit the the most favorable responses

Broadly speaking

the functions of a business negotiation are

to request
or to deliver business information

to make or to accept an offer

and to deal with matters concerning various businesses

We should keep in mind that

business communication plays an important role

in the development of goodwill

and a friendly trade relationship

The most effective business negotiation should be

easy to communicate and easy to understand

Good English is one of the basics

for effective business negotiation

What you express should be free from grammatical errors

and also free from the slightest possibility of

being misunderstood

In this unit

you will be acquainted with the 7Cs

the seven principles for a fruitful business negotiation

they are

Consideration

Courtesy

Clarity/Clearness

Conciseness

Concreteness

Correctness

and Completeness

Now let¡¯s begin with the first one

Consideration

Here consideration means that

you prepare every message with the other party in mind

and try to put yourself in his or her place

The interrelationship of both parties

profoundly affects communication effectiveness

First

it is helpful to use the you-attitude instead of

the I-attitude

The native English speakers lay great emphasis

on consideration

which we call the ¡°you¡± attitude

You-attitude is not so simple as only to use the pronoun

you instead of I or we

it is to see things from the other party¡¯s point of view

visualize their surroundings

see their problems and difficulties

and express your ideas

in terms of their experience

You-attitude can help to avoid awkward situations

and promote cooperation

between the trade parties,

and thus

early attention will be given to your requests

Compare the following two sentences

A

We allow 5% discount for cash payment

B

You earn 5% discount when you pay cash

The second sentence

is more considerate than the first one

because the speaker see things

from the other party¡¯s point of view

and visualize them in their surroundings

so the message the speaker sends out

can create good impressions

Also

Try to discuss problems in a positive way

and avoid discussing negatively

Here are two other sentences

A. We close at 5 p.m

B. We are open till 5 p.m.

If you say ¡°We are open till 5 p.m.

The receiver will feel better

So

during negotiations

we should keep the other party¡¯s requests

needs, as well as their feelings in mind

Secondly

it is helpful to keep in mind the cultural background

of the other party

When representatives of different cultures

engage in bargaining

the critical role of communication brings

added challenges

Thus

intercultural communication

can be the key to success

in cross-cultural negotiations

Every negotiator will develop

a strategy that reflects his or her personal style

but each individual is also influenced

by a national negotiation style

National negotiation styles

are strongly influenced by culture

and the behaviors displayed during bargaining sessions

often reflect the more prominent cultural characteristics

of that nation

Let¡¯s take the difference

between Chinese and Ameican negotiation styles

as an example

We can see from the table

the negotiation styles

of the two counties have different objectives

While Chinese negotiators want to build

a cooperative relationship

their counterpart

tries to sign the written legal contract

and the different characteristics

Relationship based in China

Task based in United States

Between individuals

Between organizations

Long-term focus

Short-term focus

Process oriented

Goal oriented

Holistic

Objective Logical and Linear

More information needed

Less information needed

Low initial trust

and High initial trust

Nonconfrontational

Assertive canfrontational

Particularistic ethics

Universal ethics

With two totally different styles

to reach a successful agreement

the negotiaters should keep in mind

that different styles do exist

and they should try to research into

other party¡¯s culture

try to put themselves in their shoes

take their way of thinking

behaving

and negotiating into consideration

And thirdly

it is helpful to know how to use humor

in negotiations

The power of humor lies in its capacity

to be used competitively

and cooperatively at the same time

It thus helps negotiators

to be simultaneously

tough on the issue and soft on the people

Since one¡¯s own characteristics and also

the counterpart¡¯s characteristics

can all influence the amount and type of humor used

the first thing you should do

is get familiar with your counterpart

know your client as much as possible

in order to establish whether you can use humor

during the negotiation

Some business owners

may be offended by your jokes

and then your chances of being taken seriously

will decrease dramatically

But if your competitors

seem to be friendly individuals

you may try to make the atmosphere more welcoming

by adding some humor

Keep an eye out

during your speech for the listener¡¯s feedback

You can always use humor during negotiations

as long as you make sure that

your counterparts understand

But

if you notice that they are strictly formal

you should avoid using humor at all

To conclude

be considerate

and then if possible

be humorous

the second C is Courtesy

Courtesy means to show

tactfully in your expression your honest friendship

thoughtful appreciation

sincere politeness

considerate understanding and

heartfelt respect

Compare the following two sentences

A

We are sorry that you misunderstood us

B

We are sorry that we didn¡¯t make ourselves clear

Sentence B is definitely better than A

for the reason that

it stems from a sincere you-attitude

It is not simply politeness with mechanical

insertion of please and thanks

The courteous speaker is sincere and tactful

thoughtful and appreciative

Promptness is also important in being courteous

Punctuality will please your customer

who dislikes waiting a long time for a reply

A courteous message helps to

strengthen business friendship

as well as to make new business friends

number three

Clarity or Clearness

In business English negotiation

clarity means getting your message across

so the other side will not misunderstand

what you are trying to convey

An ambiguous message

in a negotiation will cause trouble to both sides

and further exchange of information for explanation

will become inevitable

and thus costing precious time

You must try to express yourself clearly

To achieve this

the speaker should choose plain

simple words

Short

familiar

conversational

and straight-forward English

is what you need for business negotiation

First

Pay more attention to choosing

the concise and accessible expressions

and avoid ambiguous words and sentences

What does the following sentence mean

As to the steamers sailing from Hong Kong

to San Francisco

we have bimonthly direct services

Here are two possible understandings

A

We have two direct sailings

every month

from Hong Kong to San Francisco

B

We have direct sailing every two months

from Hong Kong to San Francisco

Which one is the correct one

The message the speaker wants to convey

is that B

we have direct sailing

every two months from Hong Kong to San Fancisco

The non-native negotiators may feel confused

Because in the original sentence

the phrase bimonthly direct services

is not plain enough

not simple

conversational

or straight-forward enough

So it may lead to some misunderstanding

Secondly

pay more attention to the position of the modifier

The same modifier will have different implications

when it is put in different places in a sentence

Let¡¯s read the following two sentences

A

We shall be able to supply 10 cases of the item only

In this sentence

the word ¡°item¡± is emphasized

this item

not other items

B

We shall be able to supply only 10 cases of the item

In this sentence

the word ¡°10¡± is emphasized

10 cases

no more cases.

No. 4

Conciseness

Conciseness means

saying things in the fewest possible words

without losing clarity and courtesy

We are living in an age where time is money

so no businessmen are willing to spend great time

understanding your words

Clearness and Conciseness often go hand-in-hand

and the elimination of wordy business jargon

can help to make a conversation clearer

and at the same time more concise

So

try to avoid wordiness or redundancy

But

a concise expression is not necessarily a short one

Second

avoid unusual words and out-of-date commercial jargon

and try to express your idea in modern English

The word ¡°deem¡± means ¡°think¡±

but we usually use the former

which is out-of-date

Third

avoid unnecessary repetitions

And Fourth

control the length of your expressions

and build effective ones

Generally speaking

the average length for sentences

should be around 5 seconds

not over 10 seconds

A good business sentence should be precise

and to the point

Compare the following two sentences

A

We have received your letter of June 4

we are giving you the information you asked for

in your letter

B

We are sending you the information you asked for

in your letter of June 4

The second sentence is concise and more effective

than the first one

The fifth C

Concreteness

Concreteness means

making the message specific

definite and vivid rather than ¡°general¡±

Business negotiations should avoid being too general

In general expressions

everything seems to be mentioned

but few are fully explained

You should use specific facts and figures

vivid and image-building words

For example

some qualities or characters of goods

should be described with exact figures

avoiding general words like ¡°short¡±

¡°long¡± or ¡°good¡±

Give specific time

date

month

year

and even offer hour

minute if necessary

and avoid expressions such as yesterday

next month

immediately and etc

Compare the following two sentences

A

Our product is popular

B

The market share of our products

is 30%

exceeding the average

Sentence B is more specific and

definite than sentence A

The 6th C

Correctness

Business negotiation should be of factual information

accurate figures

and exact terms in particular

for they involve the rights

duties and interests of both sides

which are often the basis of all kinds of documents

Without correctness

the business negotiation will be followed

by business troubles

Therefore we should not

understate nor overstate

Understatement might lead to less confidence and

hold up the trade development

As for overstatement

Compare the following sentences

A

This product is the best one we can supply

B

This product is absolutely the best one

on the market

Sentence B is an overstatement

which may throw you into an awkward position

The last C

Completeness

A successful business negotiation should include

all the necessary information for both parties

It is essential to check the message carefully

before a negotiation

to see that all matters will be discussed

all questions will have an answer

and all objectives will be achieved

A complete message is more likely

to bring the desired result

without the expense of additional messages

Incompleteness will lead to the counterpart¡¯s unfavorable

impression toward your firm

Now the see two sentences

A

I made you an offer yesterday

B

I made you an offer yesterday

CIF New York at $20 per metric ton

May shipment

B is relatively complete

in which the key transaction conditions

are emphasized and confirmed

Furthermore

it can help you avoid costly lawsuits

if not one bit of information is missing

Of course

after the negotiation

check and be sure

that all matters have been discussed

all questions have been answered

and all objectives have been achieved

That¡¯s briefly what I want to share with you

Thank you