Listen To This (Part I)

Listening provides both expected and surprising benefits at the negotiation table.

“Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.”

—Zeno

Listening skills. Be a better listener. Listen more, talk less.

Good negotiators heed wisdom like this, in its various forms, and understand the importance of listening to optimize negotiation success. Listening provides opportunities to learn about the other side, gain insight into the interests underlying their stated positions, and uncover opportunities for mutual gain and compromise.  

But there’s another, less obvious benefit to deliberate listening. When you let the other side talk, the other side provides you information. Because people are generally uncomfortable in silence, if you remain silent during a negotiation conversation, the opposite party is likely to fill the silence.

And the more they talk, the more likely they are to convey useful information to you. Sometimes, they’ll even make a mistake and say something they don’t mean to say, or perhaps clue you in to some aspect of their position that leads you to a bette…