Do you negotiate through e-mail? Consider this blog post from Psyblog via colleague, Matt Homann at the [non]billable hour:
Email negotiations often feel difficult, especially with people we don’t know well. When Naquin et al. (2008) compared them with face-to-face negotiations, they found that people were less co-operative over email and even felt more justified in being less co-operative.
Another reason negotiations can be difficult over email is that when negotiating with a stranger, because email is so short and to-the-point, there is little or no rapport to fall back on. So if negotiations hit a problem, they can quickly fall apart.
Morris et al. (2002) have found that even a single telephone call can create enough good feeling between the parties to bridge the rapport gap.
If you want to enhance your negotiation skills consider attending LESA’s Gain the Edge! Negotiation Strategies for Lawyers in Edmonton on February 23, 2011 and in Calgary on February 24, 2011. This program features national negotiation expert and author Martin E. Latz. For more details click on the link above.
