In Our Age Of Ever-expanding Communication Possibilities, Researchers Have Been Drawn To Answer The Question Of Which Communication Mode Is Most Likely To Lend Itself To Successful Negotiation. Although The Answer Is Undetermined, Face-to-face Communication Has Been Proven To Have A Greater Possibility Of Alleviating Miscommunication. When Youre In Person, You Are More Apt To Pick Up All The Nuances Of The Exchange. That Way, You Will Be Better Able To Gauge What The Other Party Is Thinking And To Determine The Direction In Which The Negotiating Is Headed. For The Same Reasons, It Is Also Easier To Create And Maintain Rapport. If There Is Already A Fair Amount Of Tension In The Air, However, Negotiating By Phone Can Take The Edge Off, Can Provide Breathing Room And Can Minimize The Effectiveness Of Any Pressure Tactics That May Have Been Employed. E-mails Main Advantage Is That Both Parties Have Control Over Saying Exactly What They Want To Say And How They Want To Say It. Since There Is No Ebb And Flow To Live Conversation, The Involved Parties Can Keep The Floor As Long As They Want. On The Flip Side, E-mailing Can Tend To Make The Negotiating Parties Less Restrained And More Impulsive In Their Communication. This Rashness Isnt Always A Bad Thing, But It Definitely Can Be If Tensions Exist. One Study Found That Abrupt And Unmannerly Exchanges Occurred 102 Times When Negotiating Via E-mail As Opposed To Only 12 Times When Negotiating Face-to-face.Understanding Personality DirectionsA Personality Direction Is The Way In Which We Lean Most Of The Time In Terms Of The Way We Act And React To Most Stimuli. We Hate To Be Boxed In And Categorized, But The Reality Is, Most Of The Time We Are Predictable. Sure, People Arent Going To Be 100 Percent Predictable All The Time, But The More Discerning You Become, The More You Will See How Predictable Individuals Really Are. When You Analyze Personality Directions, Ask Yourself The Following Questions: I.Is Your Audience Mostly Logical Or Emotional?A.Logical People:1. Think With Their Heads2. Go With What Makes Sense3. Are Persuaded By Facts, Figures And Statistics4. Rely On Past History5. Use Their Five SensesB.Emotional People:1. Think With Their Hearts2. Go With What Feels Right3.Are Persuaded By Emotions4.Rely On Intuition5. Use Their Sixth SenseII.Is Your Audience Introverted Or Extroverted?A.Extroverted People:1.Love To Communicate2.Are Talkative3.Involve Others4.Tend To Be Public People5.Want Face-to-face ContactB.Introverted People:1.Keep Their Feelings Inside2.Listen More Than They Talk3.Like To Work Solo4.Tend To Be Private5.Use Memos And E-mails Over Face-to-face CommunicationIII.Is Your Audience Motivated More By Inspiration Or Desperation?A.Desperation-motivated People:1.Try To Get Away From The Problem2.Are Stuck In The Past, Are Afraid Of Repeating Mistakes3.Avoid Pain4.Want To Get Away From SomethingB.Inspiration-motivated People:1.Work Towards A Solution2.See A Better Future3.Are Motivated By Pleasure4.Want To Move Forward, Have VisionIV.Are Your Audience Members Or Prospects Assertive Or Amiable?A.Assertive People:1.Consider Results More Important Than Relationships2.Make Decisions Quickly3.Want To Be In Control4.Are Task-oriented5.Dont Waste Time6.Are IndependentB.Amiable People:1.Consider Relationships More Important Than Results2.Are Friendly And Loyal3.Like To Build Relationships4.Are Great Listeners5.Avoid Contention6.Are Nonassertive And Agreeable The More You Understand Personality Directions, The Better You Will Be Able To Customize Your Negotiation Tactics. Each Individuals Personality Direction Will Dictate How You Customize Your Message.
