Negotiation Conference 2021: Deadlock – the way out

Mediation – the 5th way out of a deadlock

Become a skilled negotiator and learn new deal making  and contract negotiation techniques to be used in deadlock situations with the help of our experts.

Mediation takes place after both parties decided to walk away

A strong bond with your negotiating partner is the key to success in some negotiations. 

You have to start preparing the ground for bonding in the preparation phase. If you failed to establish a strong bond with your opponent, you might also choose to walk away from a negotiation process. That is when you will involve a mediator. 

A mediator will help you facilitate the negotiation. Mediation will assist with establishing or re-establishing good relations that will allow both negotiating parties to get together again even after walking away.  

Suppose your company does not support the idea of involving a mediator. In that case, you might be the one who will have to convince the negotiating partner to return to the negotiation table.

It requires, however, a lot of expertise to solve a walk-away situation by yourself without involving a mediator. The two essential factors will assist you in the process: empathy and language.

To get more tips on how to apply empathy, refer to our previous article.

Analysing language

Analysing language in negotiations is an art that allows you to hear more, especially about hidden motives. Using the right words at the right time is of significant importance in complex negotiations. Therefore, make sure the other party understands what you are saying at all times.

Offer them several alternatives that would benefit you as well. Use sentences like «What we could talk about is….» or «Potentially an alternative would be to ….”. Use modifiers to weaken your statements, such as «potentially» or «in case…». That will help you avoid commitments while getting additional information from your negotiating partner and studying his motives.

Sometimes it is helpful to create an illusion for negotiating partners that they hold more power in the process to get more information. Use sentences like «could you explain that in detail» or «what I don’t understand is…”. In most cases, people will give you more information than they intended.

After getting more information and offering several alternatives to your negotiating partner, make it clear for them that you are ready to think about concessions. For example, «where I see an opportunity for agreements is …..». When doing this, observe the opponent’s reaction and keep all your options open.

Read the previous article on “Back Channel” here.

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