Negotiation Vocabulary
These words will help you express yourself during negotiations.
Word |
Meaning |
Example sentence |
Alternatives nozun |
other options | We can’t offer you the raise you requested, but let’s discuss some other alternatives. |
Amplify (развить/дополнить) verb |
expand; give more information | Could you amplify on your proposal please. |
Arbitration (арбитраж) 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 (заключать сделку) 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 (нижний предел) noun |
the lowest one is willing to go | I’ll accept a raise of one dollar per hour, but that’s my bottom-line. |
Сollective (обоюдный) 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 (выполнить, согласиться) verb |
agree | I’d be willing to comply if you can offer me my own private office. |
Compromise (идти на компромисс) 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 (уступка) noun |
a thing that is granted or accepted | I think we can offer all of these concessions, but not all at once. |
Сonflict resolution (разрешение конфликта) noun |
general term for negotiations | It is impossible to engage in conflict resolution when one of the parties refuses to listen. |
Confront (открыто поговорить, высказать) verb |
present an issue to someone directly | I confronted my boss about being undervalued, and we’re going to talk about things on Monday. |
Сonsensus noun |
agreement by all | It would be great if we could come to a consensus by 5:00 P.M. |
Cooperation (взаимодействие) noun |
the working together | I have appreciated your cooperation throughout these negotiations. |
Сounter proposal (встречное предложение) 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 (контратака) verb/noun |
present other side of an issue | Before we could start our counterattackthey suggested we sign a contract. |
Сounterpart(контрагент, противная сторона) 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 (искренне, приветливо) 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 (требования) adv |
needs/expectations that one side believes it deserves | They had some last minute demands that were entirely unrealistic. |
Deadlock (тупик) 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 (спорить) noun |
argument/conflict | I was hoping to avoid discussing last year’sdispute, 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. |
Flexible (гибкий) adj |
open/willing to change | We have always been flexible in terms of your working hours. |
Hostility (неприязнь, враждебность) 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 (завысить ставки) 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 (нерешительный ) adj |
has difficulty choosing/making a decision | They were so indecisive we finally asked them to take a break and come back next week. |
Log-rolling («ты мне, я тебе», взаимо услуги) noun |
trading one favour for another | After a bit of log-rolling we came to an agreement that pleased both of us. |
Low-ball (занижать ставки) 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 (вводить в заблуждение) verb |
convince by altering or not telling the whole truth about something | They misled us into thinking that everything could be resolved today. |
Mutual (взаимный) adj |
agreed by both or all | The decision to call off the merger was mutual. |
Рressure (оказывать давление) verb |
work hard to convince another of an idea | He pressured me to accept the terms by using intimidation tactics. |
Proposal (предложение) noun |
argument to present | While I listened to their proposal I noted each of their objectives. |
Receptive (восприимчивый) adj |
open to/interested in an idea | His positive body language demonstrated that he was receptive to our suggestions. |
Resentment (недовольство) noun |
anger held onto from a previous conflict | Mary’s resentment stems from our not choosing her to head the project. |
Resistance (сопротивление) noun |
a display of opposition | We didn’t expect so much resistance on the final issue. |
Resolve (найти решение) verb |
end conflict, come to an agreement | Before you can resolve your differences you’ll both need to calm down. |
Tension (напряжение) 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 (компромисс) 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. |
Unrealistic (нереальный) adj |
very unlikely to happen | It’s unrealistic to think that we will have all of our demands met. |