Negotiation Vocabulary

word
part of speech
meaning example sentence
alternatives
noun
other options We can't offer you the raise you requested, but let's discuss some other alternatives.
amplify
verb
expand; give more information Could you amplify on your proposal please.
arbitration
noun
conflict that is addressed by using a neutral third party We're better to settle this between us, because a formal arbitration will cost both of us money.
bargain
verb
try to change a person's mind by using various tactics We bargained on the last issue for over an hour before we agreed to take a break.
bottom-line
noun
the lowest one is willing to go I'll accept a raise of one dollar per hour, but that's my bottom-line.
collective
adj
together This is a collective concern, and it isn't fair to discuss it without Marie present.
compensate
verb
make up for a loss If you are willing to work ten extra hours a week we will compensate you by paying you overtime.
comply
verb
agree I'd be willing to comply if you can offer me my own private office.
compromise
verb
changing one's mind/terms slightly in order to find a resolution We are willing to compromise on this issue because it means so much to you.
concession
noun
a thing that is granted or accepted I think we can offer all of these concessions, but not all at once.
conflict resolution
noun
general term for negotiations It is impossible to engage in conflict resolution when one of the parties refuses to listen.
confront
verb
present an issue to someone directly I confronted my boss about being undervalued, and we're going to talk about things on Monday.
consensus
noun
agreement by all It would be great if we could come to a consensus by 5:00 P.M.
cooperation
noun
the working together I have appreciated your cooperation throughout these negotiations.
counter proposal
noun
the offer/request which is presented second in response to the first proposal In their counter proposal they suggested that we keep their company name rather than creating a new one.
counterattack
verb/noun
present other side of an issue Before we could start our counterattack they suggested we sign a contract.
counterpart
noun
person on the other side of the negotiations I tried to close the discussions at noon, but my counterpart would not stop talking.
cordially
verb/noun
politely In the past I have had little respect for that client, but today she spoke cordially and listened to my point of view.
demands
adv
needs/expectations that one side believes it deserves They had some last minute demands that were entirely unrealistic.
deadlock
noun
point where neither party will give in When the discussions came to a deadlock we wrote up a letter of intent to continue the negotiations next week.
dispute
noun
argument/conflict I was hoping to avoid discussing last year's dispute, but Monica is still holding a grudge.
dominate
verb
have the most control/stronger presence Max has such a loud voice, he tends to dominate the conversations.
entitled
adj
be deserving of My contract says that I am entitled to full benefits after six months of employment.
flexible
adj
open/willing to change We have always been flexible in terms of your working hours.
haggling
verb
arguing back and forth (often about prices) We've been haggling over this issue for too long now.
hostility
noun
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.
high-ball
verb
make a request that is much higher than you expect to receive I'm planning to high-ball my expectations when I open the discussion.
impulse
noun
quick decision without thought or time I acted on impulse when I signed that six-month contract.
indecisive
adj
has difficulty choosing/making a decision They were so indecisive we finally asked them to take a break and come back next week.
leverage
noun
(bargaining power) something that gives one party a greater chance at succeeding over another We have a little bit of leverage because we are the only stationary company in town.
log-rolling
noun
trading one favour for another After a bit of log-rolling we came to an agreement that pleased both of us.
low-ball
verb
offer something much lower than you think the opponent will ask for I was expecting my boss to low-ball in the initial offer, but he proposed a fair salary increase.
mislead
verb
convince by altering or not telling the whole truth about something They misled us into thinking that everything could be resolved today.
mutual
adj
agreed by both or all The decision to call off the merger was mutual.
objective
noun
goal for the outcome My prime objective is to have my family members added to my benefits plan.
point of view
noun
person's ideas/ thoughts From my point of view it makes more sense to wait another six months.
pressure
verb
work hard to convince another of an idea He pressured me to accept the terms by using intimidation tactics.
proposal
noun
argument to present While I listened to their proposal I noted each of their objectives.
receptive
adj
open to/interested in an idea His positive body language demonstrated that he was receptive to our suggestions.
resentment
noun
anger held onto from a previous conflict Mary's resentment stems from our not choosing her to head the project.
resistance
noun
a display of opposition We didn't expect so much resistance on the final issue.
resolve
verb
end conflict, come to an agreement Before you can resolve your differences you'll both need to calm down.
tactics
noun
strategies used to get one's goals met There are certain tactics that all skillful negotiators employ.
tension
noun
feeling of stress/anxiety caused by heavy conflict There was a lot of tension in the room when George threatened to quit.
trade-off
noun
terms that are offered in return for something else Lower payments over a longer period of time sounded like a fair trade-off until we asked about interest charges.
ultimatum
noun
a final term that has serious consequences if not met 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.
unrealistic
adj
very unlikely to happen It's unrealistic to think that we will have all of our demands met.
victory
noun
a win We considered it a victory because they agreed to four of our five terms.
yield
verb
to give in to another's requests The client will only yield to our conditions, if we agree to work over the holiday weekend.