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Abstract: A successful negotiation needs the perfect combination of appropriate language use and flexible negotiation strategies. This paper, through discussing techniques of language use in global business negotiation a with some examples, tries to help improve the efficiency of international business negotiation.
Key Words: business negotiation； strategy； technique of language
1. Business Negotiation
Generally speaking, “negotiation” is an element of human behavior. It depends on communication, and it takes place only on issues “negotiable”. It takes place between people who have the same interest and can trust each other. Business negotiation is a dynamic of adjustment for both parties to achieve mutually satisfying agreements in terms of their own economic benefits. In export and import business, buyers and sellers confer together to reach a mutually satisfying agreement on a matter of common interest, due to their own objectives each party has in trade operations.
Many factors influence the result of a negotiation, for example: personal characteristics, team solidarity, tactics of bidding and so on, among all these elements, language techniques and strategies are the most essential.
2. Techniques of Negotiating Language
It is not easy for most negotiations, someone even think it as a “mission impossible”. However, it is not so complicated as long as you find out the right techniques. There are mainly three kinds of negotiation language: fuzzy language, polite language and logic language. Here the writer will analyze how to use these three kinds of language effectively in details.
2.1 Using Fuzzy Language
The two basic attributes of language are illegibility and precision. To a common sense, the language that is spoken in international business negotiation should be as precise as possible. However, there are situations in which it is impossible to explain clearly, or for some reason, you just don’t want to be clear. Illegibility is regarded as a usual strategy in business negotiations.
Let’s have a look at some concrete cases.
Case1. The buyer telephoned to complain about the late delivery of the goods and threatened that if the goods could not arrive on time, they would cancel the contract. At this time, what should the seller do? Of course, the seller does not want a cancellation. But he does not know any real resolution because this is really an urgent problem. The only thing he can do is to make the buyer be calm. So he replies: We will get in touch with our manufactures and try our best to advance the time of delivery. What can the buyer say after he gets such a reply? The usual situation is that the buyer answers like this: OK. We’ll look forward to your delivery! Then a tense situation is resolved perfectly. Case2. Two companies talk about the possibility of cooperation. The buyer-party does not make the final decision to purchase from the seller-party. So the buyer could not give any definite quantity of their need. A wise answering of the seller’s offering is: If your products are in good quality and reasonable in price, we’ll place a large order at once.
In these two cases, the negotiators answer skillfully and keep the harmony of the process of negotiating.
2.2 Using Polite Language
Most international businesspersons would probably associate the concept of “face” with Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. The reality, however, is that “face” is an universal concept. It is just that other cultures call it something different. In the West, for example, it is self-esteem or self-respect. All individuals need “face”. Therefore, when his or her “face” is damaged by other people’s actions, he or she may be angry. In most Asian countries, “face” is a deeply held value. Indeed, Confucian societies like China sometimes go to extremes to avoid pointing out errors that would cause themselves or others to lose face in front of a group of people. The value placed on saving and giving face is closely linked to the preservation of group harmony. To cause someone to lose face is seen as a challenge to his position within the hierarchy.
In western countries, the loss of face really means “personal” failure and is limited to the individual. In Asian and Middle Eastern countries, however, loss of face brings shame not only to the individual but also to the company or organization he or she represents.
Collectivist cultures (Greif, A.,1994:912 ) like China and Japan tend to avoid open conflict while individualist cultures meet confrontation head-on, often believing that confrontation is the quickest route to problem solving. People of individualist cultures want to cut a deal at all costs and in a great hurry and people of collectivist cultures seek to build a relationship first for future business transactions.
In order to be polite ,we should use some strategies in language using. First, we can turn the imperative into the interrogative.
Examples:
1) Make your lowest quotation CIF San Francisco.
→Would you please make your lowest quotation CIF San Francisco?
2) Tell us more detailed information on your requirements.
→Will you tell us more detailed information on your requirements?
Obviously, in the two examples, the interrogative sentences show respect to others. The second way to be polite and show respect is to turn the declarative into the subjunctive. For example, “We think, it is advisable for you to accept this offer at this price.” We can change the sentence like this “We think it is advisable that you should accept this offer at this price.” It sounds more polite and comfortable.
Another way to show politeness is to alleviate our tone. The negotiator should avoid words that tend to polarize the opponent’s thinking. We negotiate for the purpose of getting agreement on the issue we are discussing. Sometimes you have to negotiate with some people who are really tough, maybe you just can not help being angry or even being crazy, you raise your voice, and say something arrogant. This is not wise and rational, expert negotiator will suggest you be calm, and think about the whole thing carefully and then make a decision on how to respond. Only one person can get angry at one time. This is also a means to help negotiators keep a cool head and pay attention to the process and the strategy. Yelling at each other is not negotiation, but confrontation. If the two parties both anger at the same time, undoubtedly, there will be a winner and a loser, and there will be no possibility to reach a “win--win” solution.
Here are some expressions that can be used in a tensed situation:
① we are afraid that … ② we would say/suggest… ③ we might (may) say/think … ④It seems (would seem) that … ⑤As you are (may be) aware … ⑥ As we need hardly point out that … ⑦It appears that …etc
In business negotiation, we can say: “We would say that is was unwise of you not to accept this favorable offer”, “ As we need hardly point out that you should be responsible for the loss.” These sentence are more acceptable for the opponent.
However, as a negotiator, we should be aware that we do not need to be so polite that what we said make the other party feel superior. Everything should be done in a reasonable extent in a negotiation. Remember that all the negotiators are equal when they are sitting around a negotiation table.
2.3 Using Logic Language
The aim of any negotiation is to reach an agreement on something. It is the preparation for the consignment of a contract. The two parties should be responsible for a negotiation, while at the same time they enjoy some rights. So negotiation language should be very formal and professional and logical. To some extent, negotiating language is some kind of law language. In negotiating table, a contractual relationship is made between two or more parties who have potentially contrary interests, the contract terms are usually supplemented and restricted by laws that serve to protect the parties and to define specific relationships between them in the event that stipulations are indefinite, ambiguous or even missing.
In an international business negotiation, the parties have different social values and distinct legal systems. Such factors can easily lead to misunderstanding, and therefore the two parties should define their mutual understanding in the contract. So it is important to use formal law language in some situations.
Example1: At the request of Party B, Party A agrees to send technicians to assist Party B to install the equipment.
Here，“assist” is more formal than “help”
Example2: In processing transactions, the manufactures never have title either to the materials or to the finished products.
Here, “title” is a specific law word; “ownership” is a generally used word.
Another factor to help the language be logical is that we should express something correctly. For one thing, we can choose the very precise facts, words or statistics in negotiation. eg：1) The goods supplied are similar in quality to the sample. Here we’d better say: The goods supplied are the same in quality to the sample. 2) This contract will come into effect from Oct. From this sentence, we do not know from which day that the contract will come into effect, to avoid misunderstanding, we’d better say: This contract will come into effect from and including Oct. 1, 2004. In these two examples, the latter ones is more definite and clear.
For another, using the right international Trade Terms is essential. Trade terms define the responsibilities and expenses of both the seller and buyer. The use of the trade terms greatly simplifies the contract negotiations, and thus saves time and cost.
Example: Offer firm: TCL-2 color TV is US $800 per set CIFC3 EMP.
Some expressions like “ offer firm”, “CIFC3” and “EMP” are all very professional and concise business expressions.
In business negotiation, we emphasize the language should be logical, but never overstate. It is better to say “This product is the best one we can supply” than “This product is absolutely the best on the market”.
3. Conclusion
A successful negotiation is the one combining perfect techniques of language use and strategies. A successful negotiation means both sides realize their objectives and this satisfying result is obtained with high efficiency and at the same time a friendly cooperative relationship is established and promoted.
However, in the real process of negotiations, there are always different people and complicated situations. How to deal with them is a demanding task. The negotiators have to cope with their “enemies” with appropriate language. Then the successful negotiation can be enabled possible.
REFERENCES
1. Abne’M.Eisenberg. 1967. Understanding Communications in Business and the Professions [M]. New York :Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.
2.Golden AL .1991.Setting for more,mastering negotiating strategies and techniques[M].New York:The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
3.Greif, A. 1994.Cultural Beliefs and Organizations of Society: A Historical and Theoretical Reflection on Collectivist and Individual Societies, Journal of Political Economy, [J] vol. 102, No. 5，London :Collier Macmillan Publishers
4.肖云南,金英.2003. 国际商务谈判 [M].北京: 清华大学出版社
5.胡庚生. 1992. 怎样对外科技商务谈判：语言策略与技巧 [M]. 合肥: 中国科技大学出版社.
Key Words: business negotiation； strategy； technique of language
1. Business Negotiation
Generally speaking, “negotiation” is an element of human behavior. It depends on communication, and it takes place only on issues “negotiable”. It takes place between people who have the same interest and can trust each other. Business negotiation is a dynamic of adjustment for both parties to achieve mutually satisfying agreements in terms of their own economic benefits. In export and import business, buyers and sellers confer together to reach a mutually satisfying agreement on a matter of common interest, due to their own objectives each party has in trade operations.
Many factors influence the result of a negotiation, for example: personal characteristics, team solidarity, tactics of bidding and so on, among all these elements, language techniques and strategies are the most essential.
2. Techniques of Negotiating Language
It is not easy for most negotiations, someone even think it as a “mission impossible”. However, it is not so complicated as long as you find out the right techniques. There are mainly three kinds of negotiation language: fuzzy language, polite language and logic language. Here the writer will analyze how to use these three kinds of language effectively in details.
2.1 Using Fuzzy Language
The two basic attributes of language are illegibility and precision. To a common sense, the language that is spoken in international business negotiation should be as precise as possible. However, there are situations in which it is impossible to explain clearly, or for some reason, you just don’t want to be clear. Illegibility is regarded as a usual strategy in business negotiations.
Let’s have a look at some concrete cases.
Case1. The buyer telephoned to complain about the late delivery of the goods and threatened that if the goods could not arrive on time, they would cancel the contract. At this time, what should the seller do? Of course, the seller does not want a cancellation. But he does not know any real resolution because this is really an urgent problem. The only thing he can do is to make the buyer be calm. So he replies: We will get in touch with our manufactures and try our best to advance the time of delivery. What can the buyer say after he gets such a reply? The usual situation is that the buyer answers like this: OK. We’ll look forward to your delivery! Then a tense situation is resolved perfectly. Case2. Two companies talk about the possibility of cooperation. The buyer-party does not make the final decision to purchase from the seller-party. So the buyer could not give any definite quantity of their need. A wise answering of the seller’s offering is: If your products are in good quality and reasonable in price, we’ll place a large order at once.
In these two cases, the negotiators answer skillfully and keep the harmony of the process of negotiating.
2.2 Using Polite Language
Most international businesspersons would probably associate the concept of “face” with Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. The reality, however, is that “face” is an universal concept. It is just that other cultures call it something different. In the West, for example, it is self-esteem or self-respect. All individuals need “face”. Therefore, when his or her “face” is damaged by other people’s actions, he or she may be angry. In most Asian countries, “face” is a deeply held value. Indeed, Confucian societies like China sometimes go to extremes to avoid pointing out errors that would cause themselves or others to lose face in front of a group of people. The value placed on saving and giving face is closely linked to the preservation of group harmony. To cause someone to lose face is seen as a challenge to his position within the hierarchy.
In western countries, the loss of face really means “personal” failure and is limited to the individual. In Asian and Middle Eastern countries, however, loss of face brings shame not only to the individual but also to the company or organization he or she represents.
Collectivist cultures (Greif, A.,1994:912 ) like China and Japan tend to avoid open conflict while individualist cultures meet confrontation head-on, often believing that confrontation is the quickest route to problem solving. People of individualist cultures want to cut a deal at all costs and in a great hurry and people of collectivist cultures seek to build a relationship first for future business transactions.
In order to be polite ,we should use some strategies in language using. First, we can turn the imperative into the interrogative.
Examples:
1) Make your lowest quotation CIF San Francisco.
→Would you please make your lowest quotation CIF San Francisco?
2) Tell us more detailed information on your requirements.
→Will you tell us more detailed information on your requirements?
Obviously, in the two examples, the interrogative sentences show respect to others. The second way to be polite and show respect is to turn the declarative into the subjunctive. For example, “We think, it is advisable for you to accept this offer at this price.” We can change the sentence like this “We think it is advisable that you should accept this offer at this price.” It sounds more polite and comfortable.
Another way to show politeness is to alleviate our tone. The negotiator should avoid words that tend to polarize the opponent’s thinking. We negotiate for the purpose of getting agreement on the issue we are discussing. Sometimes you have to negotiate with some people who are really tough, maybe you just can not help being angry or even being crazy, you raise your voice, and say something arrogant. This is not wise and rational, expert negotiator will suggest you be calm, and think about the whole thing carefully and then make a decision on how to respond. Only one person can get angry at one time. This is also a means to help negotiators keep a cool head and pay attention to the process and the strategy. Yelling at each other is not negotiation, but confrontation. If the two parties both anger at the same time, undoubtedly, there will be a winner and a loser, and there will be no possibility to reach a “win--win” solution.
Here are some expressions that can be used in a tensed situation:
① we are afraid that … ② we would say/suggest… ③ we might (may) say/think … ④It seems (would seem) that … ⑤As you are (may be) aware … ⑥ As we need hardly point out that … ⑦It appears that …etc
In business negotiation, we can say: “We would say that is was unwise of you not to accept this favorable offer”, “ As we need hardly point out that you should be responsible for the loss.” These sentence are more acceptable for the opponent.
However, as a negotiator, we should be aware that we do not need to be so polite that what we said make the other party feel superior. Everything should be done in a reasonable extent in a negotiation. Remember that all the negotiators are equal when they are sitting around a negotiation table.
2.3 Using Logic Language
The aim of any negotiation is to reach an agreement on something. It is the preparation for the consignment of a contract. The two parties should be responsible for a negotiation, while at the same time they enjoy some rights. So negotiation language should be very formal and professional and logical. To some extent, negotiating language is some kind of law language. In negotiating table, a contractual relationship is made between two or more parties who have potentially contrary interests, the contract terms are usually supplemented and restricted by laws that serve to protect the parties and to define specific relationships between them in the event that stipulations are indefinite, ambiguous or even missing.
In an international business negotiation, the parties have different social values and distinct legal systems. Such factors can easily lead to misunderstanding, and therefore the two parties should define their mutual understanding in the contract. So it is important to use formal law language in some situations.
Example1: At the request of Party B, Party A agrees to send technicians to assist Party B to install the equipment.
Here，“assist” is more formal than “help”
Example2: In processing transactions, the manufactures never have title either to the materials or to the finished products.
Here, “title” is a specific law word; “ownership” is a generally used word.
Another factor to help the language be logical is that we should express something correctly. For one thing, we can choose the very precise facts, words or statistics in negotiation. eg：1) The goods supplied are similar in quality to the sample. Here we’d better say: The goods supplied are the same in quality to the sample. 2) This contract will come into effect from Oct. From this sentence, we do not know from which day that the contract will come into effect, to avoid misunderstanding, we’d better say: This contract will come into effect from and including Oct. 1, 2004. In these two examples, the latter ones is more definite and clear.
For another, using the right international Trade Terms is essential. Trade terms define the responsibilities and expenses of both the seller and buyer. The use of the trade terms greatly simplifies the contract negotiations, and thus saves time and cost.
Example: Offer firm: TCL-2 color TV is US $800 per set CIFC3 EMP.
Some expressions like “ offer firm”, “CIFC3” and “EMP” are all very professional and concise business expressions.
In business negotiation, we emphasize the language should be logical, but never overstate. It is better to say “This product is the best one we can supply” than “This product is absolutely the best on the market”.
3. Conclusion
A successful negotiation is the one combining perfect techniques of language use and strategies. A successful negotiation means both sides realize their objectives and this satisfying result is obtained with high efficiency and at the same time a friendly cooperative relationship is established and promoted.
However, in the real process of negotiations, there are always different people and complicated situations. How to deal with them is a demanding task. The negotiators have to cope with their “enemies” with appropriate language. Then the successful negotiation can be enabled possible.
REFERENCES
1. Abne’M.Eisenberg. 1967. Understanding Communications in Business and the Professions [M]. New York :Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.
2.Golden AL .1991.Setting for more,mastering negotiating strategies and techniques[M].New York:The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
3.Greif, A. 1994.Cultural Beliefs and Organizations of Society: A Historical and Theoretical Reflection on Collectivist and Individual Societies, Journal of Political Economy, [J] vol. 102, No. 5，London :Collier Macmillan Publishers
4.肖云南,金英.2003. 国际商务谈判 [M].北京: 清华大学出版社
5.胡庚生. 1992. 怎样对外科技商务谈判：语言策略与技巧 [M]. 合肥: 中国科技大学出版社.