NEGOTIATION VOCABULARY

Hostility: long-term anger towards another

I want you to know that we don’t have any hostility towards your company despite last year’s mixup.

Impulse: quick decision without thought or time

I acted on impulse when I signed that six-month contract.

Indecisive: difficulty choosing/making a decision

Sentence: They were so indecisive we finally asked them to take a break and come back next week.

Log-rolling: trading one favour for another

Sentence: After a bit of log-rolling we came to an agreement that pleased both of us.

A low-ball: offer is something much lower than you think the opponent will ask for

Sentence: I was expecting my boss to low-ball the initial offer, but he proposed a fair salary increase.

Mislead: convince by altering or not telling the whole truth about something

Sentence: They misled us into thinking that everything could be resolved today.

Objective: goal for the outcome

Sentence: My prime objective is to have my family members added to my benefits plan.

Proposal: argument to present

Sentence: While I listened to their proposal I noted each of their objectives.

Receptive: open to / interested in an idea

Sentence: His positive body language demonstrated that he was receptive to our suggestions.

Resentment: Anger held onto from a previous conflict

Sentence: Mary’s resentment stems from our not choosing her to head the project.

Resistance: a display of opposition

Sentence: We didn’t expect so much resistance on the final issue.

Trade-off: terms that are offered in return for something else

Sentence: Lower payments over a longer period of time sounded like a fair trade-off until we asked about interest charges.

Ultimatum: a final term that has serious consequences if not met

Sentence: His ultimatum was that if I didn’t agree to give him the raise he asked for, he’d quit today without two week’s notice.