We viewed these videos in class and identified negotiation tactics, body language and linguistic features, as well as power positions.
Which negotiator is stronger and why?
Start at 3:19
What tactics do you recognize in this negotiation exchange between the British Chancellor and his US counterpart?
Do you recognize negative and positive denial? Competitive and cooperative approaches?
Start at the beginning; stop at 2:09.
Assignment: Opening Statement
An opening statement can help set the tone for the negotiations. The statements should contain the team’s expectations for the meetings, why they have agreed to participate in the process, and their expectations regarding their relationships.
Your assignment:
The statement should include:
Each team member will read an opening statement at the beginning of the negotiation.
Avoiding and Responding to Communication Breakdown
When communicating across cultures, it is easy to fall into the pitfalls of intercultural differences in how people should communicate, levels of politeness and rhetorical orientations.
In “An Analysis of an Intercultural Communication Breakdown,” Zhu Yunxia and Peter Thompson use the above model for analysis of intercultural issues between high-context and low-context cultures.
Cultural Differences in High- and Low-Context Cultures
Rhetorical Orientations
Remember Aristotle’s orientations for persuasion? High-context cultures focus more on relationships, feelings, and social status when attempting to be persuasive. Low-context cultures focus more on logic of an argument.
High Context
Low Context
Politeness Principles
What is considered polite varies from culture to culture. Cultures differ in:
Prevention and Repair
How can we try to prevent communication breakdown, and how do we repair the situation once a breakdown has occurred?
A sampling of repair strategies:
(Schegloff et al., 1977; Schegloff, 2000; Nagano, 1997; Drew, 1997).
1. Repetition. Repeat what the other person says as closely as you can recall. Be sure you have heard correctly.
2. Paraphrase. Rephrase what others say in your own words to confirm your understanding.
3. Clarify and Confirm that you have heard or understood correctly. You might define key terms. E.g., “what do we mean by takeaway?”—can save time and energy later on.
4. Comprehension checks. Check with your counterparts to be sure that you understood what they said and that they understood you.
Other Hints:
Never assume. Don’t take it for granted that everyone is using terms or understanding concepts in the same way. Always double-check.
Try not to rush. If you seem rushed and distracted while communicating with others, they may feel offended. If you can’t avoid being rushed, provide a brief explanation about why you are busy but emphasize that they are important to you and arrange for a follow up meeting or phone call.
Encourage questions. Make your counterpart feel comfortable and safe to ask questions. Conversely, if you are unsure or unclear about something, always ask.
Practice active listening. Back channeling is a technique in English to let your counterpart know that you are listening and understanding. However, back channeling can be interpreted as interrupting by people from high-context cultures. Eye contact is also culturally sensitive. Ask questions, invite questions, ask someone to provide a brief recap of what was said. Actively engage your mind so you really listen. Afterwards, be ready to ask for clarification or examples if there is anything you don’t understand.
Reference: Zhu Yunxia, Peter Thompson. (2000) Invitation or sexual harassment? An analysis of an intercultural communication breakdown. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3(4). <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0008/invitation.php>
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 4
Week 5
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Sansspace Recording Assignment
Positional Moves
Before doing this assignment, be sure to do the Positional Moves in Negotiation interactive language tutorial listed in the asynchronous activities.
For each of the following Moves, choose an appropriate phrase from the Language column. You may also use a another phrase that you like that communicates the same meaning. Put the phrase into the context of our negotiation topic by adding content to it.
Record your voice saying these phrases in context.
This assignment is due at the end of Week 2. Your revisions based on instructor feedback are due at the end of Week 3.
Follow this link to Sansspace to record your positional statements. Go to Positional Moves Recording Assignment Folder for the instructions.
Grading Rubric
1=low to 5=high
30 possible points (Bonus points are possible for more than one example per move and for adding new phrases to those listed below.)
Moves
Language
testing. delete later.
