Question 11 bcde

Question 11: Which one of the following is the most common mistake made by negotiators when Receiving Proposals?

A Interrupting
B Not listening
C Ignoring them
D Denying or not giving the other side what they want
E Asking “Do you think I’m stupid?”

Sorry you got this one wrong. The most common mistake most people make is A - Interrupting the other side part way through their proposal. This is a really dumb move, even if the first thing that has come out of their mouth is totally abhorrent to you. If it is a well constructed proposal the good news ie the offer comes at the end (IF YOU...THEN I or Cabbage before Icecream) If you interrupt them you may miss this good news. Even if it’s not that good there may be something that you can work with or build on. Good negotiators LISTEN and in particular they listen to the proposal the other party makes. Remember the offers are signals of what the other side may be willing to trade or even give away.

The other problem with interrupting is that behaviours are catching. If you interrupt me, I’m far more likely to interrupt you thereafter. The likely result? A silly circular argument that wastes time, energy and runs the risk of compromising relationships.

If their proposal meets your needs, say thank you, select one small non contentious item from your wish list and say “If you can include this then we have an agreement”

IF their proposal doesn’t do it for you before you reject it. Stop. Ask yourself the question “Under what circumstances could I accept this proposal?” If there are put it back to the other party in the form of a counter proposal. Remember, a proposal beats an argument any day of the week.

What about the other answers?

B Not listening - Not smart for the reasons addressed above. The key skills for any negotiator and the one thing we all constantly need to work on is, improving our listening skills.

C Ignoring them - Again a good move. Behaviours are catching. If you ignore my proposal, I’m likely to do the same to yours. What will then happen is that we are likely to engage in unproductive circular arguments.

D Denying or not giving the other side what they want – Again behaviours are catching. IF their proposal doesn’t do it for you before you reject it. Stop. Ask yourself the question “Under what circumstances could I accept this proposal?” If there are put it back to the other party in the form of a counter proposal. Remember, a proposal beats an argument any day of the week.

E Asking “Do you think I’m stupid – One of the worlds dumbest questions. This only has one answer and it’s not the one you’d like and hope to hear!!!
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