The Negotiation Book: Your Definitive Guide To Successful Negotiating

6.9. CONCLUSION

To listen, understand, calculate, think, and respond without emotion takes a tremendous amount of mental capacity. This is what we mean by the 'E' factor. It is what differentiates you as a Complete Skilled Negotiator from others because it leads to optimum performance. The gymnast may have many skills in speed, agility and strength, but if they do not have balance, they will never excel. For many this proves a difficult discipline because some attributes do not come naturally, but they can be learnt. If you do, however, find yourself in a difficult position, adjourn the meeting and remove yourself before you become psychologically and financially compromised. If in doubt of what to do next, do nothing, otherwise you will probably regret it. Planning and preparation should help avoid such situations, but with negotiations taking unpredictable twists and turns, you should never feel obliged to conform and remain in the room. If in doubt, get out. The implications of time and consequence are usually cited as the reasons why people continue in discussions, even when the implications of their position are unclear.

Time and circumstance is the most powerful factor in negotiation. The changes it brings can trigger the emotional reactions of those involved. Time can change everything, including the balance of power within the relationship. This in turn can quickly impact on the style of negotiation in play, the way relationships exist and the degree of integrity or fairness ...