How Stress Affects Negotiations

Rushing the other to make a decision, forcing him to choose an alternative – the one we want – are negotiation strategies widely used in business. The objective is to cloud the thinking of the other, divert their attention from the important elements to finally get our way. However, we will not always have the opportunity to direct the entire process. Sometimes it will be necessary to negotiate.

A negotiation process requires more than just knowing how to communicate and being skilled with explanations. Managing stress is also necessary, especially if we have to make decisions and close deals in a hurry.  The fact that time is upon us or that we have to give an immediate response, can not only increase our level of nervousness, but can also determine the impact of our decisions on the company.

How stress works in a negotiation

As we have seen, stress can make an appearance in a negotiation, especially if we feel pressured. And although in some situations stress can be positive, in these cases it is usually not good company. The problem is in how we manage it.  

That feeling of “I’m saturated” at the time of trading, can have many more underlying reasons. A misunderstanding with the boss or co-workers, a project that has not been delivered on time and that has left the company in a bad place or an excessive workload can lead to a bad negotiation.

Thus, when stress invades us, the first thing we feel is a feeling of overwhelm. Ideas pile up in our minds and prevent us from thinking clearly. Instead of doing it in an orderly and calm way, a chaos takes hold of us and it seems that we only know how to think fast. That is why if we are stressed and at the same time we have to negotiate, we are more likely to be confused in our decision. Or at least, of not carrying out our skills and strategies as we should.

Sometimes stress can cause us to try to escape, to get out of that situation because all we feel is more and more pressure. It can even make us feel insecure when negotiating and not know how to act or face the conflict that may arise due to the large amount of energy expended to deal with it. Other possibilities are that we adopt an uncompromising attitude towards the other person or that we do not put our opinions on the table. 

Reduce stress in negotiations

Letting ourselves be carried away by stress will not bring us very pleasant consequences.  It is important to learn how we can deal with it to be successful and not get carried away by pressure. For this, it is important that we take into account the following steps.

• Go to the negotiation well equipped : to negotiate we must be informed, otherwise it will be very difficult to refute an opinion in a justified way. We need to have sufficient knowledge on the subject. Knowing the opinion of other colleagues before going to the negotiation can also be of great help to know what we can find.
• Practice active listening : this is a key aspect in any negotiation and is that before speaking it is necessary to listen to others. What do they think? What prospects do they have? Where do you want to go? It is better not to rush into speaking and listening carefully beforehand.

• Use emotional intelligence : if stress arises in a negotiation we can raise the tone of voice, be unable to listen to the other and experience an emotional explosion. Therefore, it is important to breathe, calm down and take control of your emotions. Knowing how to identify both your own and those of others is an advantage when negotiating.
• Restart the negotiation : if the negotiation has gone through the branches and you have lost the main reason for it, it is possible to restart it. To do this, we can go back to the beginning or take it again another day in which tempers are calmer and we have enough information to carry it out successfully.
• Negotiate without haste : although it is true that if there is no deadline we can go indefinitely without making a decision, it is also important to know when to postpone it or resume it if it is not getting anywhere. Haste is not good adviser in negotiations.

Thus, stress can be an element that activates us and sets us in motion to achieve our goals.  But if it arises from constant pressure and we have to negotiate, it can overwhelm us.

Now, if we are clear about how we should carry out this negotiation, what is its initial preparation, how we can face possible conflicts and how to manage the resulting stress, everything will be much easier.