WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.542 PROFESSOR: In this video, we're going 00:00:01.542 --> 00:00:03.642 to talk about intercultural negotiations. 00:00:03.642 --> 00:00:05.600 The negotiations that we're going to talk about 00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:08.160 are specific to business settings. 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:11.370 But also know that you negotiate in all of your relationships, 00:00:11.370 --> 00:00:13.530 whether they're interpersonal, intercultural, 00:00:13.530 --> 00:00:15.560 a combination of both, so that what 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:17.750 you learn about negotiation today 00:00:17.750 --> 00:00:20.433 is transferable into your other relationships. 00:00:20.433 --> 00:00:22.850 We're just going to talk about them in a strictly business 00:00:22.850 --> 00:00:24.650 sense. 00:00:24.650 --> 00:00:27.620 One of the reasons why intercultural negotiation is 00:00:27.620 --> 00:00:30.440 so difficult to accomplish is because we're 00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:33.320 so used to negotiating within our own culture 00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:37.460 that we assume that the rules that we use to understand how we 00:00:37.460 --> 00:00:40.080 ought to negotiate and how we ought to achieve our goals 00:00:40.080 --> 00:00:43.500 are going to be the same when we go into new contexts. 00:00:43.500 --> 00:00:46.190 And so we imagine that this negotiation process 00:00:46.190 --> 00:00:49.080 is going to look very similar to what we're used to, when, 00:00:49.080 --> 00:00:52.200 in fact, it's not. 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:54.090 When we negotiate in our own culture, 00:00:54.090 --> 00:00:56.190 we know the values of the other person, 00:00:56.190 --> 00:00:58.460 or we have a better idea of what goals 00:00:58.460 --> 00:01:02.110 they have about the interaction, and what ethical choices 00:01:02.110 --> 00:01:05.319 that they're going to make, simply because we have a better 00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:08.210 idea of what their cultural background looks like. 00:01:08.210 --> 00:01:11.110 So we know that there's all sorts of variation 00:01:11.110 --> 00:01:14.290 and we all have different lived experiences, so we do all see 00:01:14.290 --> 00:01:16.460 the world in different ways. 00:01:16.460 --> 00:01:18.320 It's not all exactly the same. 00:01:18.320 --> 00:01:21.790 But when we try to understand the cultural lens of someone 00:01:21.790 --> 00:01:25.280 who's more similar to us, the process is a bit easier. 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:28.975 So we're not guaranteed any shared perspectives 00:01:28.975 --> 00:01:30.880 when we negotiate interculturally, 00:01:30.880 --> 00:01:34.660 so it's a bit more difficult to find those places where 00:01:34.660 --> 00:01:37.300 our experiences and the experiences of the person 00:01:37.300 --> 00:01:39.200 that we're talking to overlap. 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:41.590 And it's when we find those moments of overlap 00:01:41.590 --> 00:01:44.000 that we're able to have more effective communication 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:46.720 because we recognize that we can both understand 00:01:46.720 --> 00:01:48.980 the worldview of the other person 00:01:48.980 --> 00:01:52.870 when we talk about those shared experiences. 00:01:52.870 --> 00:01:54.400 Other important things to consider 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:59.520 when negotiating in intercultural settings 00:01:59.520 --> 00:02:01.680 is that you might be writing a contract that's 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:04.990 going to be enforced by two different legal systems. 00:02:04.990 --> 00:02:08.680 So if the two different legal systems are vastly different, 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:11.460 that contract may mean very different things depending 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:13.930 on which country or which part of the world 00:02:13.930 --> 00:02:15.250 it's being enforced in. 00:02:15.250 --> 00:02:17.160 So you want to be aware of that. 00:02:17.160 --> 00:02:19.560 And we also want to be aware that while the government 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:22.290 in the US tends to be very separate from business 00:02:22.290 --> 00:02:24.870 interactions, they're not necessarily in the boardroom 00:02:24.870 --> 00:02:28.177 24/7, that's not necessarily true of other countries. 00:02:28.177 --> 00:02:29.760 So you might have government officials 00:02:29.760 --> 00:02:33.330 that you have to be interacting with. 00:02:33.330 --> 00:02:35.910 You also might be negotiating in a country that's 00:02:35.910 --> 00:02:39.760 politically unstable, so things can change really quickly. 00:02:39.760 --> 00:02:42.210 These are all important things to consider when looking 00:02:42.210 --> 00:02:44.200 at intercultural negotiations. 00:02:44.200 --> 00:02:47.925 So it's important to remember that it is about-- 00:02:47.925 --> 00:02:50.040 being an effective intercultural negotiator 00:02:50.040 --> 00:02:52.350 is about much more than just knowing 00:02:52.350 --> 00:02:54.240 the values and the beliefs of the group 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.560 that you're interacting with. 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:59.150 Because we do a lot of negotiating every day, 00:02:59.150 --> 00:03:02.740 we have this idea that we know what it is and we intuitively 00:03:02.740 --> 00:03:04.340 know how to accomplish it. 00:03:04.340 --> 00:03:06.520 We don't necessarily spend the time thinking 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:08.990 about what the definition means. 00:03:08.990 --> 00:03:11.380 So to help us better understand and at least 00:03:11.380 --> 00:03:14.690 be on the same page concerning what a negotiation is, 00:03:14.690 --> 00:03:16.960 it's important to know that negotiations 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:19.990 are the interaction of two or more parties 00:03:19.990 --> 00:03:23.170 who both have common and conflicting interests, 00:03:23.170 --> 00:03:28.060 for the purpose of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. 00:03:28.060 --> 00:03:31.520 So negotiations happen when we need to work together 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:35.410 but we have different ideas about how we should achieve 00:03:35.410 --> 00:03:37.670 those joint goals that we have. 00:03:37.670 --> 00:03:40.870 We engage in negotiation in our everyday lives. 00:03:40.870 --> 00:03:43.700 All of the time, we're engaging in negotiations. 00:03:43.700 --> 00:03:47.290 So you might have a negotiation with your significant other 00:03:47.290 --> 00:03:50.480 when you're trying to decide where you want to go for dinner. 00:03:50.480 --> 00:03:53.950 So you both have a common interest in eating a meal, 00:03:53.950 --> 00:03:56.130 but you have conflicting ideas about where 00:03:56.130 --> 00:03:58.110 you ought to go to eat out. 00:03:58.110 --> 00:03:59.640 When your significant other offers 00:03:59.640 --> 00:04:02.500 to do the laundry if you pick his or her suggestion, 00:04:02.500 --> 00:04:04.680 you have to decide if receiving laundry 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:08.260 for giving in on the dinner choice is beneficial to you. 00:04:08.260 --> 00:04:11.020 If it is, you can make this agreement. 00:04:11.020 --> 00:04:13.320 And if it's not, you continue in the negotiations 00:04:13.320 --> 00:04:15.930 and you decide what you're going to offer 00:04:15.930 --> 00:04:19.050 to sweeten the pot so that he or she will pick the place that you 00:04:19.050 --> 00:04:20.820 want to go. 00:04:20.820 --> 00:04:23.800 What then does it take to be a good negotiator? 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:28.450 Well, first, good negotiators have strong persuasion skills. 00:04:28.450 --> 00:04:30.840 So individuals that are highly persuasive 00:04:30.840 --> 00:04:34.810 know many different strategies for persuading other people, 00:04:34.810 --> 00:04:37.987 and they're able to effectively analyze the situation so 00:04:37.987 --> 00:04:39.570 that they can pick the strategies that 00:04:39.570 --> 00:04:45.570 are likely to be most effective in a specific context. 00:04:45.570 --> 00:04:48.030 Good negotiators are also well-prepared. 00:04:48.030 --> 00:04:50.260 So they know what outcome they want, 00:04:50.260 --> 00:04:53.930 what outcome their company wants, what they can concede, 00:04:53.930 --> 00:04:55.940 when they can concede those things. 00:04:55.940 --> 00:04:57.550 And finally, they know what to expect 00:04:57.550 --> 00:05:00.410 within the intercultural negotiation setting. 00:05:00.410 --> 00:05:02.870 All of this requires doing your homework, 00:05:02.870 --> 00:05:05.120 not just on the deal that needs to be made, though. 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.720 You have to do your homework about the culture with which 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:08.900 you're making that deal. 00:05:08.900 --> 00:05:10.733 So you need to learn about the people you're 00:05:10.733 --> 00:05:12.580 making that deal with, not just about what 00:05:12.580 --> 00:05:16.190 you need to do to get this deal to go through. 00:05:16.190 --> 00:05:18.440 While good negotiators are well-prepared, 00:05:18.440 --> 00:05:21.280 they're also flexible and creative when 00:05:21.280 --> 00:05:23.060 things don't go as planned. 00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:26.230 So a good intercultural negotiator is aware of the fact 00:05:26.230 --> 00:05:29.950 that the cultural differences between the individuals involved 00:05:29.950 --> 00:05:33.410 in the negotiation are likely to cause problems. 00:05:33.410 --> 00:05:37.480 Thus, he or she is flexible and finds creative solutions 00:05:37.480 --> 00:05:41.140 when their well-planned preparations don't really 00:05:41.140 --> 00:05:41.750 work out. 00:05:41.750 --> 00:05:45.280 So they become irrelevant to the negotiation process. 00:05:45.280 --> 00:05:48.070 When that happens, strong negotiators 00:05:48.070 --> 00:05:50.130 are both flexible and creative and can 00:05:50.130 --> 00:05:53.550 find new ways of interacting with the other person 00:05:53.550 --> 00:05:55.390 in trying to achieve their goals. 00:05:55.390 --> 00:05:58.690 Finally, good negotiators need to have patience. 00:05:58.690 --> 00:06:00.460 Things are not going to go as planned. 00:06:00.460 --> 00:06:02.530 That doesn't mean you shouldn't have a plan. 00:06:02.530 --> 00:06:05.460 That just means you need to be ready to patiently work 00:06:05.460 --> 00:06:08.440 through things with your intercultural conegotiators. 00:06:08.440 --> 00:06:11.040 As I've said, negotiation can be stressful 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:13.560 when individuals are coming to negotiation 00:06:13.560 --> 00:06:15.730 from the same cultural background. 00:06:15.730 --> 00:06:18.600 So again, you can only imagine how stressful things can 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:21.150 get when individuals are coming from different backgrounds 00:06:21.150 --> 00:06:22.840 with different perspectives. 00:06:22.840 --> 00:06:25.110 So know that intercultural negotiation 00:06:25.110 --> 00:06:29.370 can be time-consuming, and as such, it requires people 00:06:29.370 --> 00:06:31.920 to really be patient and to be willing to work 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:35.250 through the process of negotiating and coming 00:06:35.250 --> 00:06:38.770 to some type of mutual resolution to a problem. 00:06:38.770 --> 00:06:40.950 So now that we know the personal characteristics 00:06:40.950 --> 00:06:42.910 that a good negotiator should have, 00:06:42.910 --> 00:06:45.240 it's important to learn about some of the strategies 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:49.890 that we can utilize to become more effective negotiators. 00:06:49.890 --> 00:06:51.750 First, to be an effective negotiator, 00:06:51.750 --> 00:06:53.940 we have to remember to do our homework. 00:06:53.940 --> 00:06:56.210 So we have to learn as much as we possibly can 00:06:56.210 --> 00:06:58.280 about the other national culture, 00:06:58.280 --> 00:07:00.000 the other organizational culture, 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.430 as well as the other culture of the individual. 00:07:02.430 --> 00:07:06.260 So if we fully want to be able to understand how to come up 00:07:06.260 --> 00:07:08.580 with good strategies for achieving our goals, 00:07:08.580 --> 00:07:11.062 we have to know information about all 00:07:11.062 --> 00:07:12.770 of those different things so we can truly 00:07:12.770 --> 00:07:15.050 understand who we're sending that message to 00:07:15.050 --> 00:07:17.790 and how we can make that message most persuasive. 00:07:17.790 --> 00:07:20.390 Second, you're going to want to focus on relationships 00:07:20.390 --> 00:07:22.880 and building relationships rather than just getting 00:07:22.880 --> 00:07:24.540 contracts signed. 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:27.000 So many times, because we're US Americans, 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:28.910 we focus on getting a project completed 00:07:28.910 --> 00:07:31.165 on time and under budget. 00:07:31.165 --> 00:07:32.930 Time is money, and if we can get things 00:07:32.930 --> 00:07:35.000 done quickly and for less money than we thought 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:37.260 we did or we would, we've won. 00:07:37.260 --> 00:07:39.440 We've accomplished a goal. 00:07:39.440 --> 00:07:41.540 That being said, many other cultures 00:07:41.540 --> 00:07:45.710 see negotiation not as getting a contract signed, 00:07:45.710 --> 00:07:49.090 but as building a long-term relationship with an individual 00:07:49.090 --> 00:07:51.670 from another organization. 00:07:51.670 --> 00:07:54.850 So recognizing this focus that other organizations 00:07:54.850 --> 00:07:57.410 have on building relationships. 00:07:57.410 --> 00:08:00.070 It's important for US American negotiators 00:08:00.070 --> 00:08:02.170 to remember that there are benefits 00:08:02.170 --> 00:08:05.660 to creating those long-standing business relationships. 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:07.960 And if they come into situations with a bit more 00:08:07.960 --> 00:08:10.840 flexibility and a bit more willingness 00:08:10.840 --> 00:08:14.620 to concede on their desire to have a contract signed now 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:18.080 and to be enforced 100% the way the contract is written, 00:08:18.080 --> 00:08:21.580 they might be able to facilitate some of those good feelings that 00:08:21.580 --> 00:08:23.650 enable intercultural relationships 00:08:23.650 --> 00:08:25.340 to happen and to flourish. 00:08:25.340 --> 00:08:28.970 One of the things we have to do when we build relationships, 00:08:28.970 --> 00:08:31.760 however, is meet with individuals face-to-face. 00:08:31.760 --> 00:08:34.669 So when building relationships interculturally, 00:08:34.669 --> 00:08:38.270 you might need to travel to that culture to have those meetings. 00:08:38.270 --> 00:08:40.929 It's not going to be enough to necessarily set up a Skype 00:08:40.929 --> 00:08:45.680 interaction or do some type of meeting software, where you all 00:08:45.680 --> 00:08:47.490 can join together at the same time. 00:08:47.490 --> 00:08:49.500 So you're going to need to meet face-to-face. 00:08:49.500 --> 00:08:51.750 When you do that, you're going to get to eat together, 00:08:51.750 --> 00:08:53.832 drink together, do activities together. 00:08:53.832 --> 00:08:55.790 So maybe they're going to take you to play golf 00:08:55.790 --> 00:08:58.550 or to do another activity that's important to them 00:08:58.550 --> 00:08:59.730 within their culture. 00:08:59.730 --> 00:09:02.870 So while a lot of US Americans don't necessarily value doing 00:09:02.870 --> 00:09:05.780 these things in business settings-- again, time is money, 00:09:05.780 --> 00:09:09.350 and building relationships takes time and focus away from 00:09:09.350 --> 00:09:11.420 the business at hand-- 00:09:11.420 --> 00:09:13.790 do recognize that doing this is important, 00:09:13.790 --> 00:09:16.700 as it enables us to engage in dialogue with the other group 00:09:16.700 --> 00:09:19.790 of people, and this can help us facilitate a relationship 00:09:19.790 --> 00:09:21.450 with that individual. 00:09:21.450 --> 00:09:24.050 Good negotiators also consider the need 00:09:24.050 --> 00:09:27.230 that exists behind the position that the other side is 00:09:27.230 --> 00:09:29.240 advocating for. 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:31.730 And this requires you to try and understand 00:09:31.730 --> 00:09:35.180 why the conegotiator or your conegotiator 00:09:35.180 --> 00:09:37.620 is asking for what they're asking for. 00:09:37.620 --> 00:09:40.230 In the end, we have to remember that like the iceberg, 00:09:40.230 --> 00:09:42.412 there are always things that we can't see. 00:09:42.412 --> 00:09:44.620 There are always rationales for what people are doing 00:09:44.620 --> 00:09:46.660 that we don't necessarily see. 00:09:46.660 --> 00:09:48.950 Those things exist under the surface, 00:09:48.950 --> 00:09:51.530 and they're not clearly visible to us at all times, 00:09:51.530 --> 00:09:53.470 but we can explore them so that we can fully 00:09:53.470 --> 00:09:56.927 understand why people think and do the things that they do. 00:09:56.927 --> 00:09:58.510 We also want to be sure that we're not 00:09:58.510 --> 00:10:01.540 relying too much on intercultural stereotypes 00:10:01.540 --> 00:10:03.770 when we're learning how to do our homework. 00:10:03.770 --> 00:10:06.940 So when we're good intercultural negotiators, we do our homework 00:10:06.940 --> 00:10:09.760 and we try and learn who the person we're negotiating with 00:10:09.760 --> 00:10:10.550 is. 00:10:10.550 --> 00:10:12.640 And the problem we can have is sometimes we're 00:10:12.640 --> 00:10:17.750 overreliant on what the books say that person ought to be, 00:10:17.750 --> 00:10:20.690 and we don't really let that person be an individual. 00:10:20.690 --> 00:10:23.770 So it's important to know how people from that culture 00:10:23.770 --> 00:10:26.740 tend to behave, but you want to get into that interaction 00:10:26.740 --> 00:10:30.680 and then rather quickly let that person change those stereotypes. 00:10:30.680 --> 00:10:33.280 So you don't want to rely on what the book said 00:10:33.280 --> 00:10:35.470 or how the book said an individual 00:10:35.470 --> 00:10:38.290 from the Japanese culture would approach a negotiation 00:10:38.290 --> 00:10:39.230 situation. 00:10:39.230 --> 00:10:41.070 You want to allow that individual 00:10:41.070 --> 00:10:45.100 to let you learn how they approach negotiation situations. 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:47.485 So having that context in the background of your mind 00:10:47.485 --> 00:10:49.110 is important because it's going to help 00:10:49.110 --> 00:10:52.320 you understand why they see negotiation settings the way 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:53.110 they do. 00:10:53.110 --> 00:10:56.400 But you do want to let a person become an individual rather 00:10:56.400 --> 00:10:58.780 than keeping them as a cultural stereotype. 00:10:58.780 --> 00:11:00.540 In intercultural negotiation, we also 00:11:00.540 --> 00:11:02.560 want to be sensitive to timing. 00:11:02.560 --> 00:11:04.560 So as we learned earlier, individuals 00:11:04.560 --> 00:11:06.430 have different time orientations. 00:11:06.430 --> 00:11:08.470 And this can make negotiations difficult 00:11:08.470 --> 00:11:10.950 if one person has that monochronic orientation 00:11:10.950 --> 00:11:14.430 and assumes that time is money, and the other person 00:11:14.430 --> 00:11:16.530 has a more polychronic orientation 00:11:16.530 --> 00:11:19.240 and is really focused on building relationships. 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:21.870 Because in the US, we expect things to be done really 00:11:21.870 --> 00:11:25.630 quickly, it's important, as US individuals, 00:11:25.630 --> 00:11:30.180 that we are willing and able to adjust our expectations for when 00:11:30.180 --> 00:11:33.550 work will get done when we're working internationally. 00:11:33.550 --> 00:11:36.210 A lot of times, international negotiations 00:11:36.210 --> 00:11:39.640 can take a really long time, and so walking in 00:11:39.640 --> 00:11:41.200 with the expectation that this is 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:43.720 going to be something quick and easy to accomplish 00:11:43.720 --> 00:11:45.650 is likely not going to happen. 00:11:45.650 --> 00:11:48.400 So this is going to be one area where you should probably 00:11:48.400 --> 00:11:50.750 adjust those expectations from the beginning 00:11:50.750 --> 00:11:53.860 so that you can be more successful. 00:11:53.860 --> 00:11:56.140 So if you tend to be a fast worker, 00:11:56.140 --> 00:11:58.810 it would be advantageous for you to pay attention 00:11:58.810 --> 00:12:01.840 to how your conegotiators orient to time 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:04.430 when you arrive in an international setting, 00:12:04.430 --> 00:12:06.850 so that you can work to adjust your communication 00:12:06.850 --> 00:12:09.640 to their expectations for how long this will take. 00:12:09.640 --> 00:12:13.420 Being patient in our international business 00:12:13.420 --> 00:12:16.970 and international negotiation situations is a virtue. 00:12:16.970 --> 00:12:19.990 You also want to consider the time of year 00:12:19.990 --> 00:12:22.640 when you're looking and being sensitive to timing. 00:12:22.640 --> 00:12:26.050 So, in the US, not a lot of work gets done on the week between 00:12:26.050 --> 00:12:28.070 the Christmas holiday and New Year's. 00:12:28.070 --> 00:12:30.040 So, in intercultural settings, that really 00:12:30.040 --> 00:12:32.170 wouldn't be a good time for other individuals 00:12:32.170 --> 00:12:37.990 to suggest that a meeting happen or that negotiations take place. 00:12:37.990 --> 00:12:39.580 The final thing you want to remember 00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:41.590 if you're being sensitive to timing 00:12:41.590 --> 00:12:43.540 is that time zones might come into play 00:12:43.540 --> 00:12:45.340 if you're not meeting face-to-face, 00:12:45.340 --> 00:12:46.990 or even if you're meeting face-to-face, 00:12:46.990 --> 00:12:50.640 as someone might be jet-lagged or have just arrived 00:12:50.640 --> 00:12:52.180 in a new time zone. 00:12:52.180 --> 00:12:56.430 Effective intercultural communicators are also flexible. 00:12:56.430 --> 00:13:00.060 Because we have a high focus on the importance of time 00:13:00.060 --> 00:13:02.190 in the United States and we really 00:13:02.190 --> 00:13:05.640 want to accomplish things quickly and efficiently, 00:13:05.640 --> 00:13:09.120 we tend to plan things out so we have a plan 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:11.190 for how things ought to happen. 00:13:11.190 --> 00:13:14.250 And when things don't go to plan because schedules 00:13:14.250 --> 00:13:16.200 change or governments get involved 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:18.040 or people don't do what they promise, 00:13:18.040 --> 00:13:21.870 it's important that we remain flexible and open to changing 00:13:21.870 --> 00:13:23.920 the way that we get our work done. 00:13:23.920 --> 00:13:25.990 When negotiating internationally, 00:13:25.990 --> 00:13:27.750 we're going to undoubtedly find ourselves 00:13:27.750 --> 00:13:29.650 in unfamiliar situations. 00:13:29.650 --> 00:13:31.560 And so we can freak out and we can panic 00:13:31.560 --> 00:13:34.000 and we can lose in the negotiation, 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:35.600 or we can, again, try and remember 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:37.220 that we need to stay flexible, be 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:40.560 open to the different things that are happening to us, 00:13:40.560 --> 00:13:43.770 and trying to understand why those things are occurring. 00:13:43.770 --> 00:13:47.600 So really being flexible involves going with the flow 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:50.420 and not allowing the cultural differences 00:13:50.420 --> 00:13:52.490 that are occurring within the meeting 00:13:52.490 --> 00:13:54.540 to throw you for too much of a loop. 00:13:54.540 --> 00:13:56.570 You also want to learn how to listen. 00:13:56.570 --> 00:14:01.490 So US American speakers tend to be very direct and aggressive. 00:14:01.490 --> 00:14:05.220 We value directness and we value competition in this country. 00:14:05.220 --> 00:14:07.170 So when we converse with other people, 00:14:07.170 --> 00:14:09.330 we try and win in those conversations. 00:14:09.330 --> 00:14:11.720 And you win by being able to get your message 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:17.165 across to the other person in a very clear and concise way. 00:14:17.165 --> 00:14:20.580 As such, we're taught that talking is what's important, 00:14:20.580 --> 00:14:23.880 and paying attention to message production is what's important. 00:14:23.880 --> 00:14:26.720 We don't necessarily focus as much on teaching individuals 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:28.650 how to be good listeners. 00:14:28.650 --> 00:14:32.010 So a lot of the cognitive effort we spend in conversation 00:14:32.010 --> 00:14:34.680 focuses on constructing messages rather than 00:14:34.680 --> 00:14:36.870 interpreting messages. 00:14:36.870 --> 00:14:39.100 If you learn to actively listen, however, 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:41.880 and you try and understand your conegotiator when you're 00:14:41.880 --> 00:14:43.710 in interaction with him or her, you 00:14:43.710 --> 00:14:46.320 might find yourself better able to secure the things 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:49.840 that your organization wants because through listening, 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:52.470 you've learned about the issues, and you're 00:14:52.470 --> 00:14:54.750 able to convince the other people that you're talking 00:14:54.750 --> 00:14:57.690 with that you fully understand where things are headed 00:14:57.690 --> 00:14:59.920 or what their perspective is. 00:14:59.920 --> 00:15:02.400 So you can get them to be more flexible because you 00:15:02.400 --> 00:15:05.470 can show that you understand what they're advocating for 00:15:05.470 --> 00:15:08.407 and you've seen what's below the water on that iceberg. 00:15:08.407 --> 00:15:10.740 You get why they're saying what they're saying, why they 00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:13.210 want the things that they want. 00:15:13.210 --> 00:15:15.510 Also, you can convince them that you're 00:15:15.510 --> 00:15:17.250 trustworthy and worthy of entering 00:15:17.250 --> 00:15:20.460 into a long-term relationship with when you pay attention 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:22.990 to listening and listening to what they're saying. 00:15:22.990 --> 00:15:25.200 So just some strategies you can use 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:27.120 to become a better listener-- working 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:29.580 to hear all messages and not just the ones 00:15:29.580 --> 00:15:30.900 that you agree with. 00:15:30.900 --> 00:15:33.650 Sometimes when we are listening, we dismiss the things 00:15:33.650 --> 00:15:37.680 that we don't believe or we don't agree with as unimportant. 00:15:37.680 --> 00:15:39.600 We call this cognitive dissonance. 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:42.810 So if something doesn't align with how we look at the world, 00:15:42.810 --> 00:15:45.570 we don't really pay attention to that portion of the message. 00:15:45.570 --> 00:15:48.680 So we don't want to do that in intercultural business settings 00:15:48.680 --> 00:15:52.010 because we want to hear all those messages because, likely, 00:15:52.010 --> 00:15:54.740 a lot of things that are shared aren't going to align 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:58.100 with how we see the world. 00:15:58.100 --> 00:16:00.380 We also want to learn to listen to the whole message 00:16:00.380 --> 00:16:02.250 before we provide a response. 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:04.010 So as US Americans, we like to help 00:16:04.010 --> 00:16:05.670 other people solve problems. 00:16:05.670 --> 00:16:07.790 And a consequence of this is that sometimes we 00:16:07.790 --> 00:16:11.880 don't let them share their full perspective before we interject. 00:16:11.880 --> 00:16:14.720 So good listeners let their conversational partners share 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:19.160 everything, and then they interject with their advice 00:16:19.160 --> 00:16:20.310 or with their commentary. 00:16:20.310 --> 00:16:22.610 So let the other person give their full message 00:16:22.610 --> 00:16:24.830 before you start talking. 00:16:24.830 --> 00:16:27.860 You also want to focus on the message and not the presentation 00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:28.980 of that message. 00:16:28.980 --> 00:16:33.080 So presentation is important to how a message is perceived 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:35.850 and how effective a message is. 00:16:35.850 --> 00:16:38.810 But it's far more important to focus on what's being said 00:16:38.810 --> 00:16:42.530 rather than the number of times an individual said "um" or "uh" 00:16:42.530 --> 00:16:46.370 while delivering that message, or the lack of an effective 00:16:46.370 --> 00:16:49.520 PowerPoint that coincided with the message. 00:16:49.520 --> 00:16:52.700 Focusing on those things takes your cognitive energy away 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:55.022 from trying to understand what that message is. 00:16:55.022 --> 00:16:56.480 So it's far more beneficial for you 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:58.610 to just focus on the message and not 00:16:58.610 --> 00:17:00.355 how that message comes to you. 00:17:00.355 --> 00:17:01.730 You also want to make sure you're 00:17:01.730 --> 00:17:04.430 asking open-ended questions so that the speaker is 00:17:04.430 --> 00:17:06.200 able to elaborate and really share 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:09.480 their perspective on things or their position on things. 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:11.327 Likewise, you want to stay in the moment. 00:17:11.327 --> 00:17:12.869 A lot of times, when we're listening, 00:17:12.869 --> 00:17:15.480 our minds can wander and go elsewhere. 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:18.710 And so you really want to use cognitive effort to try and stay 00:17:18.710 --> 00:17:22.160 in the moment and try and understand what's being said 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:24.710 and why those things are important. 00:17:24.710 --> 00:17:27.569 As a good listener, you might ask that a colleague come along 00:17:27.569 --> 00:17:30.340 with you to help you listen to what's going on. 00:17:30.340 --> 00:17:33.150 So this is going to ensure that more than one person is 00:17:33.150 --> 00:17:34.720 listening to what's happening. 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:37.290 And then through dialogue, the two of you 00:17:37.290 --> 00:17:39.240 can come to better understand what actually 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:40.570 happened in the interaction. 00:17:40.570 --> 00:17:42.220 So if you happen to miss something, 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:45.550 maybe he or she picked up on it, or maybe through discussion, 00:17:45.550 --> 00:17:47.670 you can come to understand the motivation that 00:17:47.670 --> 00:17:50.875 was behind some of those messages, in different ways 00:17:50.875 --> 00:17:53.250 than you would have if you were the only person listening 00:17:53.250 --> 00:17:53.980 to them. 00:17:53.980 --> 00:17:56.293 Finally, active listeners take notes. 00:17:56.293 --> 00:17:58.710 So you don't take notes by writing down every single thing 00:17:58.710 --> 00:18:00.190 that a person is saying. 00:18:00.190 --> 00:18:02.670 Rather, you take notes by writing down those things that 00:18:02.670 --> 00:18:03.880 are important. 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:06.180 If you have good note-taking skills, 00:18:06.180 --> 00:18:08.070 you can better distinguish between what's 00:18:08.070 --> 00:18:10.540 important and unimportant in a conversation. 00:18:10.540 --> 00:18:12.510 And then you have a good record of the things 00:18:12.510 --> 00:18:14.410 that you need to pay attention to. 00:18:14.410 --> 00:18:17.640 Likewise, as your conversational partner sees you writing things 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:20.040 down, that's, again, going to show care and concern 00:18:20.040 --> 00:18:21.300 about the relationship. 00:18:21.300 --> 00:18:23.730 That's going to build trust and hopefully enable 00:18:23.730 --> 00:18:26.480 more open communication between all parties. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:30.730 I've said this many times, but to be effective in negotiation 00:18:30.730 --> 00:18:33.160 in intercultural situations, you have 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:35.590 to learn about your own culture as well as the culture 00:18:35.590 --> 00:18:36.860 that you're visiting. 00:18:36.860 --> 00:18:38.980 There is, however, another culture that you 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:40.640 should pay attention to. 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:43.570 So you also want to pay attention to the views 00:18:43.570 --> 00:18:46.815 that your conegotiator has about your culture. 00:18:46.815 --> 00:18:49.820 You want to consider how that person perceives you. 00:18:49.820 --> 00:18:52.540 You want to consider how that person perceives you 00:18:52.540 --> 00:18:54.070 so that you can better understand 00:18:54.070 --> 00:18:57.050 how to interpret the messages that they're sending your way. 00:18:57.050 --> 00:18:59.410 Finally, strong intercultural negotiators 00:18:59.410 --> 00:19:02.170 act ethically and with integrity so that they can 00:19:02.170 --> 00:19:04.370 build trusting relationships. 00:19:04.370 --> 00:19:07.030 They accept that multinational connections are needed 00:19:07.030 --> 00:19:08.815 to be successful in a global market, 00:19:08.815 --> 00:19:11.440 and they work to be trustworthy so that their relationships can 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:12.110 grow. 00:19:12.110 --> 00:19:15.220 All right, so this video gave a detailed look 00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:17.732 at how to become a better intercultural negotiator. 00:19:17.732 --> 00:19:19.690 These skills are going to be useful to consider 00:19:19.690 --> 00:19:21.940 when you work on the cross-cultural negotiation 00:19:21.940 --> 00:19:24.180 activity on Monday.