Negotiating

Ken: Thank you, Erica. During negotiations, we make proposals or suggestions that the other person can accept or reject. But there are lots of ways to express “yes” or “no”, without saying the word directly. Let’s practise this now. First, you’ll hear a statement from your negotiation partner and, in the pause, you say whether this statement means the person accepts or rejects your suggestion. Ready?

• I’m not convinced.

Ken: She rejects the suggestion. To “convince” someone is to get someone to believe that what you’re saying is true. Next one.

• I’m in favour of that.

Ken: She accepts the suggestion. To be “in favour of” something is to give it your support. Next.

• That’s out of the question.

Ken: She rejects the suggestion. When you say something is “out of the question”, that means you will not consider it. Next one.

• We have no objection to that.

Ken: She accepts the suggestion. This sentence sounds negative, but an “objection” is an argument against something — so “no objection” means you have nothing against it.

• Under no circumstances.

Ken: She rejects the suggestion. “under no circumstances” means we will not consider the suggestion in any possible situation or condition.

• I couldn’t agree more.

Ken: She accepts. This sentence sounds negative, but it is very positive. It means that your agreement is complete.

Erica: In the current Business Spotlight magazine and audio, you’ll find a test on the language of negotiating. You can try more exercises on our website at www.business-spotlight.de. Come back next Tuesday for another podcast — and we certainly hope that you accept THAT suggestion!