Business English Podcast Episode 3: Negotiating in English is the topic of this week’s episode. We talk about different types of negotiating styles, cultural differences when using some of them and language that you may hear during that particular strategy. Turn on the subtitles if needed and check out some of the vocabulary and expressions down below.
VOCABULARY
Technique / Tactic / Ploy
- All three are being used in the podcast to refer to ‘strategy’
- The skill needed to do an activity (in this case, negotiate)
- The next technique that we are going to talk about is The Take It or Leave It strategy.
- This tactic tries to persuade the other side to come back to the negotiating table.
- Anchoring is a ploy used to set a fixed price before your opponent.
- Ploy can sometimes imply dishonesty.
- He set the high price as a ploy to shock them.
Leverage
- The power you have to influence or get the results you want
- Having power to influence results
- In part the EU was created in order to have more leverage on the world stage.
- Having 27 states negotiating together gives them more leverage than negotiating on their own.
Consession
- Something that you give up or give to the other side in a negotiation
- I can make some concessions on transportation costs if you are willing to move the delivery dates.
Benchmark
- Something that is used as a standard when comparing different things in the same industry.
- The company has some clear benchmarks set for performance and productivity.
Expressions
Give / Have an edge
- to have an advantage over someone or something
- If you can identify the strategy your opponent is using, you have an edge in the negotiation.
- Being well prepared in a negotiation can really give you an edge over the other party.
Play Ball
- To agree to do what someone has asked you to.
- To do what the other person expects you to do.
- Either you play ball or you leave the company.
- Sometimes, it’s much easier to just play ball than to always be fighting your teammates.
Call someone’s bluff
- To make someone prove that what they are saying or doing is true.
- I told him it was a take it or leave it situation but they called my bluff by saying they were going to leave it.
- If you think they are lying, call their bluff and see what they do.
PODCAST ENGLISH IMPULSE
Now that you have heard Business English Podcast Episode 3: Negotiating, have a listen to our other episodes:
Business English Impulse: How to join a meeting
Wellbeing English Impulse: Fads and trends
