Communication and Personality in Negotiation

Everybody negotiates on a regular basis. People negotiate at work, at home, with friends,

family, and coworkers. According to Answers.com (2008), “Negotiation is the process of two

individuals or groups reaching joint agreement about differing needs or ideas” (para.19).

Oftentimes people negotiate and are unaware they are negotiating. For some people, negotiating

appears easy, but other people view the process of negotiation as a conflict (Lewicki, Saunders,

& Barry, 2006). Analyzing the roles of communication and personality in negotiation and how

they contribute or detract from the negotiations will be reviewed. Included will be an example of

when I have participated in a negotiation situation.

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

“Negotiation is a process of communication in which parties aim to ‘send a message’ to

the other side and influence each other” (Beyond Intractability, 2003-2007). Communication

techniques are a vital role in negotiating. Negotiating is about effective communications. When

negotiating, communication occurs at two levels, the logical level and the pragmatic level

(Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006). A logical and pragmatic message received by the other

party is communication. What is said is not the only point, the information inferred, intended,

conveyed, or perceived is a vital factor. Thus, tremendous care must be taken to direct pragmatic

messages. In order to avoid sending the wrong message negotiators must be aware of the

potential issues of pragmatic miscommunication (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006). According

to Nonverbal Communication (unknown), “nonverbal communications include all forms of

communication that are not part of the language that we speak or write” (para. 4). Three types of

nonverbal communication that affect negotiations are body language, physical environment, and

personal attributes (Nonverbal Communication, unknown). Body language shows insight into the
attitude of the originator. One’s body language can demonstrate a positive attitude or a negative

attitude. For example, hands on the hip demonstrate confidence whereas insecurity if often

displayed by hands completely in the pocket or hand wringing. The physical environment

transmits nonverbal messages that can be extremely important to negotiators and include

elements of the environment such as available space, distance from or proximity to others people

and territorial control (Nonverbal Communication, unknown). Personal attributes such as

physical appearance, gestures and facial expressions, eye contact and gaze affect negotiations

(Peter Barron Stark & associates, 2000).

How to Improve Communication in Negotiation

Communication is the key of negotiation. When communication is disrupted or distorted

negotiations are unsuccessful. Communication skills have three techniques for improving in

negotiations, listening, questions, and role reversal (Cellich & Jain, 2004). Listening skills are

crucial in a conflict situation. Through attentive listening, a negotiator can learn what the other

party has to say so that an agreement can be reached. Attentive listeners do more than listen; they

analyze and think, and assess what the other party is saying (Cellich & Jain, 2004). Listening

well will assist one in assessing and analyzing any situation as a whole. “An experienced

negotiator spends more than 50 percent of the time listening; the remaining time is used for

talking and asking questions” (Cellich & Jain, 2004, p.138). When dealing with negotiations an

important factor is the ability to ask the correct questions. Asking the correct questions allows

negotiators to obtain valuable information about the other party’s position, supporting arguments

or needs (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006). Open questions allow the listener to express her or

himself without any restrictions. This type of question allows for clarification of the issue,

acquiring missing information, or pressing for more information about details. Role reversal may
improve communication during negotiations also. This technique involves the negotiator putting

herself or himself in the shoes of the other party and, then, considering the various parts of the

negotiation. This allows the negotiators to understand the other party’s position by taking an

active part in arguing the issue at hand (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006).

Personality in Negotiations

The study of personality in negotiation has a variety of predominant traits such as conflict

management style, social value orientation, interpersonal trust, self-efficacy and locus of control,

self-monitoring, Machiavellianism, face threat sensitivity, and the “big five” personality factors

(Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006).

Conflict Management Style

Conflict management deals with five major styles based on a combination of satisfying

ones own concerns (assertiveness) and the other satisfying the concerns of others

(cooperativeness). The five styles of conflict managements are competing style, accommodating

style, avoiding style, collaborating style, and compromising style. Each conflict has a unique

situation and style to use with each appropriate situation. A negotiator needs to satisfy the

interests of both parties involved by implementing his or her knowledge of the five conflict

management styles and applying the best method for the issue (Lewicki, Saunders, &

Barry, 2006).

Social Value Orientation

Social value orientation is the outcome one may expect when dealing with a particular

scenario. When a person is mainly concerned with the outcome on a personal level this is

considered pro-self, and when a person is concerned with the outcome of the situation as a whole

this is called pro-social or cooperative orientation (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006).
Interpersonal Trust

Interpersonal trust is the level in which negotiators trust the other parties. The other party

may be deceptive or deceitful and one must be able to recognize this trait. Interpersonal trust

involves one person making himself or herself vulnerable to another person's behavior (Lewicki,

Saunders, & Barry, 2006).

Self-efficacy and Locus of Control

Self-efficacy is the principle that one is competent of performing a certain way in order to

reach the outcome. People with this type of personality believe he or she has the capability to

perform the required steps to reach the final goal. Locus of control is a behavior lead by rewards

and punishments. A person holds a belief that through certain actions they will receive a reward

or punishment thus leading to repetitive behaviors (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006).

Self-monitoring

Self-monitoring is a theory in which people control their behavior based on the social scene.

High self-monitors are people who modify their behavior to fit into the various social scene or

issue whereas, low self-monitors adapt to the current situation. “One can think of self-monitoring

as the extent to which people monitor the external social environment for cues about how they

are suppose to behave” (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006, p.394).

Machiavellianism

The concept of Machiavellianism describes the level to which a person has the tendency to

deceive and manipulate others for personal gain. High Machs tend to take a more removed from

others leading to unethical behavior. Low Machs tend to be more personal thus leading to a more

submissive personality and agreeable in negotiations (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006).

Face Threat Sensitivity

 Face is the value in which a person views his or her reputation, public image and status in

relation to other people in a situation. Face is what a person holds himself or herself out to be.

“Face is important in negotiation, they argue, because threats to one’s image will make a

negotiator competitive in a situation that might otherwise benefit from cooperative

behavior” (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006, p.396).

The “Big Five” Personality Factors

The “Big Five” are five factors of personality traits. These traits are extroversion,

agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness. These factors of personality

focus on behaviors one expresses during negotiations. Each trait reveals different characteristics

and many occur in people together. People have the same five factors; however, have differing

degrees of these factors in combination, leading to different personalities. According

to About.com (2008), “Personality is a complex and varied and each person may display

behaviors across several of these dimensions” (para.8).

Real Estate Transaction

When dealing with a real estate transaction a win-win situation is the desired outcome. I

had my house for sale and priced approximately 12.5% over what I originally purchased the

house for 3 ½ years prior. The market I was selling in had an average increase in home price

approximately 8% increases per year. I had my house for sale by owner below market value. I

had several offers that were below my original purchase price and rejected. I finally had an offer

made to me by a realtor for approximately 5% over my original purchase price. At this time I

pointed out all the sold comparables and the current listing price of other similar homes in the

area and counter offered at 10% over original purchase price. This realtor cam back to me with

7.5% over my original purchase price and cash deal with a close less than 30 days. This was a
negotiated deal that I accepted. This experience shows that the cooperative style is the most

effective and efficient way to complete a real estate transaction.

Conclusion

Negotiations occur anywhere from dealing with people, business contracts, buying or selling

products, official matters and relationships. According to Answers.com (2008), “Negotiation is

the process of two individuals or groups reaching joint agreement about differing needs or

ideas” (para.19). Negotiating is about effective communications and by developing good

listening skills and asking relevant questions, both parties can move closer to a negotiated

agreement. When negotiating, communication occurs at two levels, the logical level and the

pragmatic level. The two types of questions used in negotiating are open-ended questions and

probing or conditional questions.

References

About.com (2008). The "Big Five" Personality Dimensions. Retrieved on August 8, 2009. from

http://psychology.about.com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/bigfive.htm

Answers.com (2008). Negotiation. Retrieved on August 8, 2009, from

http://www.answers.com/topic/negotiation

Beyond Intractability (2003-2007). Negotiation. Retrieved on August 8, 2009, from

http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/negotiation/

Cellich, C., & Jain, S.C. (2004). Global Business Negotiations. Manson, OH: Tomson South-

Western

Lewicki, R.J., Saunders, D.M., & Barry, B. (2006). Negotiation (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-

Hill Irwin.
 Nonverbal Communication (unknown). Ch 5 - Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved on

August 8, 2009, from

http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/cpf/docs/contract_pricing_finance_guide/vol5_ch5.pdf

Peter Barron Stark & Associates (2000). Nonverbal Negotiation Skills. Retrieved on August 8,

2009, from http://www.everyonenegotiates.com/negotiation/nonverbalnegotiation.htm