NEGOTIATION VOCABULARY

Confront: present an issue to someone directly

Sentence: I confronted my boss about being undervalued, and we’re going to talk about things on Monday.

Consensus: agreement by all

Sentence: It would be great if we could come to a consensus by 5:00 P.M.

Cooperation: the working together

Sentence: I have appreciated your cooperation throughout these negotiations.

Counterattack: to present the other side of an issue

Sentence: Before we could start our counterattack they suggested we sign a contract.

Cordially: politely

Sentence: In the past I have had little respect for that client, but today she spoke cordially and listened to my point of view.

Demands: needs/expectations that one side believes it deserves

Sentence: They had some last minute demands that were entirely unrealistic.

Deadlock: point where neither party will give in

Sentence: When the discussions came to a deadlock we wrote up a letter of intent to continue the negotiations next week.

Dispute: argument/conflict

Sentence: I was hoping to avoid discussing last year’s dispute, but Monica is still holding a grudge.

Dominate: have the most control/stronger presence

Sentence: Max has such a loud voice, he tends to dominate the conversations.

Entitled: be deserving of

Sentence: My contract says that I am entitled to full benefits after six months of employment.

Flexible: open/willing to change

Sentence: We have always been flexible in terms of your working hours.

Haggling: arguing back and forth (often about prices)

Sentence: We’ve been haggling over this issue for too long now.