Understanding Negotiation Types - Whose on the other side of the table?

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In graduate school, I was able to take a negotiation class taught by a former FBI hostage negotiator, Chris Voss, one of the Bureau's top negotiators. Although the class was a great hands-on course with plenty of example negotiations, Chris distilled a lot of his secrets into a book, 'Never Split the Difference', which I highly recommend. But, if you wanted to just get the highlights, I've listed some of his quick tips and concepts from my class notes below to help out any negotiators out there on Steemit.

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"Empathy is defined as the ability to recognize the perspective of a counterpart and the vocalization of that recognition." - Chris Voss

To preface, the core of Chris' techniques was empathy - taking the time to understand and relate to the customer and/or terrorist and communicate that understanding. This focuses negotiations on a Win-Win scenario and the satisfaction of both parties. The ideas and concepts listed below are much more about information gathering and active listening than the adversarial nature of most negotiations. A large goal is to extract "asynchronous information" to best understand your counterpart.

"Empathy is defined as a demonstrating an understanding of the other side’s needs, interests and perspective, without necessarily agreeing." - Mnookin’s “The Tension between Empathy and Assertiveness”

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Negotiator-Types

Assertive

Logical, Straightforward, Goal Oriented - Assertive negotiators view directness as less opportunity for miscommunication. They are the most inflexible. With regards to reciprocity - If you give an inch, they will take a mile. If they give in on a term first, they will immediate expect reciprocity. However, if given a little leeway on a term, they will push and expect even more ground. They view negotiation as Intellectual Sparing and may not be focused as much on implementation. They are willing to walk away if they feel as though their goals are not met.They see negotiation as a battle of wills.

Analysts

Pragmatic, they love to explain the rationale for how they arrived at a conclusion. They typically see reciprocity as a trap, and its best to appeal to their rationality. Analysts often see reciprocity as a trap since they likely do not understand the expectation of future reciprocity in a current situation. Additionally, they may want to take time to work out the new information or expectation. They love data and facts and will use time to make sure they understand how each may change the outcome. Negotiations are often just an equation.

Accomodators

Accomodators are most invested in the long-term relationship and their perceived likability. They want to leave on good terms and are very reciprocal. Accommodators are very reciprocal and seek to strengthen the relationship by matching most efforts of reciprocity. They will often seek a mutually beneficial long-term relationship. However, in one-off situations, they can be extremely competitive. They see the negotiation as just one part of a larger relationship and partnership.

Conclusion

Hope these tips and tricks were helpful, and you are more successful your future negotiations. Whether for a raise, for a new job, new vendor, or with your significant other. It is good to know how your peer negotiates and how you negotiate. It can go a long way to help you empathize with your counter party and understand what they need and why. It helps you navigate those needs by helping them feel understood and heard. That feeling of understanding helps create trust and a stronger negotiation and conclusion. How do you think you'll use these methods in the future?

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