Word
Part of speech |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
alternatives
noun |
other options |
We can't offer you the raise you
requested, but let's discuss some
other alternatives.
|
amplify
verb |
expand; give more information |
Could you amplify on your
proposal please. |
arbitration
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
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
noun |
the lowest one is willing to go |
I'll accept a raise of one dollar
per hour, but that's my
bottom-line. |
collective
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
verb |
agree |
I'd be willing to comply if
you can offer me my own private
office. |
compromise
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
noun |
a thing that is granted or accepted
|
I think we can offer all of these
concessions, but not all at
once. |
conflict resolution
noun |
general term for negotiations
|
It is impossible to engage in
conflict resolution when one of
the parties refuses to listen.
|
confront
verb |
present an issue to someone directly |
I confronted my boss about
being undervalued, and we're going
to talk about things on Monday. |
consensus
noun |
agreement by all |
It would be great if we could come
to a consensus by 5:00 P.M.
|
cooperation
noun |
the working together |
I have appreciated your
cooperation throughout these
negotiations. |
counter proposal
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
verb/noun |
present other side of an issue
|
Before we could start our
counterattack they suggested we
sign a contract. |
counterpart
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
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
adv |
needs/expectations that one side
believes it deserves |
They had some last minute demands
that were entirely unrealistic.
|
deadlock
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
noun |
argument/conflict |
I was hoping to avoid discussing
last year's dispute, 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. |
entitled
adj |
be deserving of |
My contract says that I am
entitled to full benefits after
six months of employment.
|
flexible
adj |
open/willing to change |
We have always been flexible
in terms of your working hours.
|
haggling
verb |
arguing back and forth (often about
prices) |
We've been haggling over this
issue for too long now. |
hostility
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
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
adj |
has difficulty choosing/making a
decision |
They were so indecisive we
finally asked them to take a break
and come back next week.
|
leverage
noun |
(bargaining power) something that
gives one party a greater chance at
succeeding over another |
We have a little bit of leverage
because we are the only stationary
company in town. |
log-rolling
verb |
trading one favour for another |
After a bit of log-rolling we
came to an agreement that pleased
both of us. |
low-ball
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
verb |
convince by altering or not telling
the whole truth about something
|
They misled us into thinking
that everything could be resolved
today. |
mutual
adj |
agreed by both or all |
The decision to call off the merger
was mutual. |
objective
noun |
goal for the outcome |
My prime objective is to have
my family members added to my
benefits plan. |
point of view
noun |
person's ideas/ thoughts |
From my point of view it
makes more sense to wait another six
months. |
pressure
verb |
work hard to convince another of an
idea |
He pressured me to accept the
terms by using intimidation tactics.
|
proposal
noun |
argument to present |
While I listened to their
proposal I noted each of their
objectives. |
receptive
adj |
open to/interested in an idea |
His positive body language
demonstrated that he was
receptive to our suggestions.
|
resentment
noun |
anger held onto from a previous
conflict |
Mary's resentment stems from
our not choosing her to head the
project. |
resistance
noun |
a display of opposition |
We didn't expect so much
resistance on the final issue.
|
resolve
verb |
end conflict, come to an agreement
|
Before you can resolve your
differences you'll both need to calm
down. |
tactics
noun |
strategies used to get one's goals
met |
There are certain tactics
that all skillful negotiators
employ. |
tension
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
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. |
ultimatum
noun |
a final term that has serious
consequences if not met |
His ultimatum was that if I
didn't agree to give him the raise
he asked for, he'd quit today
without two week's notice.
|
unrealistic
adj |
very unlikely to happen |
It's unrealistic to think
that we will have all of our demands
met. |
victory
noun |
a win |
We considered it a victory
because they agreed to four of our
five terms. |
yield
verb |
to give in to another's requests |
The client will only yield to
our conditions |
